James Engel

Don't hide your head from the upcoming months; it can still seem like summer when you visit the Farmers' Market. The Palos Verdes Farmers' Market is a great place to get the produce you need to make the recipe I've attached to this posting, Spinach and Mandarin Orange Salad! What a wonderful and light salad, even for lunch, just leave the dressing separate. Now, where to get the ingredients, that's right, the Palos Verdes Farmers Market of course!

Name: Palos Verdes-Rolling Hills Estates Farmers' Market

Day: Sunday

Hours: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Location: Peninsula Shopping Center

City: Rolling Hills Estates

Manager: Brian Weiss

Office Address: 18635 S. Budlong Ave., Gardena, CA 90247

Phone: 310-324-3994

Peninsula Shopping Center, Hawthorne Blvd at Silver Spur Road

Spinach and Mandarin Orange Salad

• 8 cups torn Fresh Spinach (, about 10 ozs)
• 8 ounces sliced Fresh Mushrooms
• Fresh Mandarin Oranges
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped pecans or roughly chopped Walnuts
• 1/2 cup fat-free raspberry vinaigrette (such as Girard's Or your favourite fat free dressing)

Directions

1. Place 2 cups of spinach on each of 4 plates.
2. Arrange 1/2 cup mushrooms and 1/3 cup oranges over spinach.
3. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese and 1 1/2 teaspoons nuts.
4. Drizzle each with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette.
5. Or place ingredients, except vinaigrette, in a bowl, lightly toss and just before serving, drizzle with dressing.

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It can seem like summer all year round when you shop at the Mar Vista Farmers Market! I have a great receipe for Winter Squash Bake and a Rosted Seed Recepe for those great squash and pumpkin seeds. First you need to go down and get your squash so I recommend you go to the Mar Vista Farmers' Market in Los Angeles this week and every week!

Day: Sunday
Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: Grandview Blvd. between Venice Blvd and Pacific Ave (see map below for detail)
Website: http://marvistafarmersmarket.org/

Manager: Diana Rodgers
Office Address: 12224 Venice Blvd, Mar Vista, CA 90066
Phone: 310-621-2966
Parking: Post office parking lot at the corner of Venice and Grandview
Transportation: To get to the Mar Vista Farmers Market by bus, take the Metro 33 /333 on Venice Blvd to either Centinela Avenue or Inglewood Avenue. Grandview Avenue in-between those two streets.

Post office parking lot at the corner of Venice and Grandview

Winter Squash Bake

Ingredients

• 3 lbs butternut squash or buttercup squash or hubbard squash
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Cut squash into pieces, pare and remove seeds.
2. Cook in boiling salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender.
3. Drain well and put pan back onto heat, shaking it to allow excess water to evaporate.
4. Mash the squash; stir in butter, sour cream, onion, salt and pepper.
5. Turn into a greased 1 1/2-qt casserole and bake uncovered in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes.

Spicy Roasted Butternut Seeds / Pumpkin Seeds

• butternut seeds, from 4 butternut squash (squeezed from fibers) or from 1 pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. just remove the fibers do not wash.
2. Place on cookie sheet with spices and butter in a mound.
3. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees till butter is melted about one minute.
4. Lower oven to 300 degrees, mix and spread seed into single layer and bake till crisp about 30-40 minutes.

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Summer Doesn't Have To Be Over When You Have Famers' Markets All Year Round!

I love going to my local Farmers' Market and getting the freshest fruits and veggies all year round! Shopping at you local Los Angeles Farmers' Market is good for you and good for the local small businesses. Right now there's a whole bunch of great produce in season. How about a fresh spinach and mushroom salad with Asian pear, dried cranberries and a light vinaigrette dressing? That sounds like a great light lunch or a tantalizing starter to a dinner of steak and winter squash with green beans.

So, how do you go about finding your local Farmers' Market in Manhattan Beach? Look no further, I have all the info you need right here! Here are the details and a website listed below for your convenience:

Day: Tuesday

Hours: Noon to 4:00 p.m. (extended summer hours until 5 p.m., Memorial Day through Labor Day)

Location: 13th St, between Valley and Morningside Drives (see map at the end of the blog for more details)

Website: http://www.mbfarmersmarket.com/

Manager: Nathalie Deschatres

Office Address: P.O. Box 3298, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Phone: (310)379-9901

Parking: Metered parking is available in the underground Metlox parking lot

Here's a great recipe using the produce in season right now!

Spinach-Pear Salad With Gorgonzola, Walnuts and Pear Vinaigrette

By: Recipe Junkie

SERVES 4 -6

• 3/4 cup walnut halves, toasted (about 3 ounces)
• 1 (15 ounce) can s&w California sun pears in light syrup, drained, reserving 1/4 of the syrup, & fresh Asian Pears cut
• 2 teaspoons honey mustard or mustard, sweetened with honey to taste
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 cups baby spinach or other tender salad greens
• 3/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola or other blue cheese (about 3 ounces)

Directions

1. To make pear vinaigrette, combine reserved pear syrup, honey mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
2. Whisk in olive oil.
3. Just before serving, gently toss together the toasted walnuts, drained pears, pear vinaigrette, spinach and Gorgonzola.

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Farmers' Market Information for Hermosa Beach

Day: Friday

Hours: 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Location: Valley Dr between 10th & 8th

City: Hermosa Beach

County: Los Angeles

Manager: Mary Lou Weiss

Office Address: 2506 Ardmore Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

Phone: 310-376-0951

Make sure to visit the Hermosa Beach Farmers' Market any time you visit theValley or the Los Angeles area. A street map to get to the Hermosa Beach Farmers' Market is attached for your convenience.

Hermosa Beach is one of the community's fortunate enough to have a Certified Farmers' Market (CFM)! Supporting your local Farmers Market not only gives you the freshest fruits and vegetables but it's also a way to give your local small business owners the support they need to stay in business in an age of large chain stores. So, go on down Friday between 12 pm and 4 pm to the Hermosa Beach Farmers' Market this week and every week!

So, you're probably wondering, what's Fresh Right Now! This is a great time for fresh veggies if you like Spinach, Avocados, Winter Squash, Brussel Sprouts, Mushrooms, Green Beans, Beets or Chinese Broccoli. For fresh fruit check out the Pomegranates, Tangerines, Limes, Persimmons, Asian Pears, Mandarin Oranges and Grapes. Other produce that's in season includes Walnuts and Honey.

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Farmers' Market Information for El Segundo

Day: Thursday

Hours: 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Location: Pine Ave. & Main St.

City: El Segundo

County: Los Angeles

Manager: Val Patterson

Office Address: 339 Sheldon, El Segundo, CA 90245

Phone: 310-615-2649

Make sure to visit the El Segundo Farmers' Market any time you visit the Los Angeles area. A street map to get to the El Segundo Farmers' Market is attached for your convenience.

So, you're probably wondering, what's Fresh Right Now! This is a great time for fresh veggies if you like Spinach, Avocados, Winter Squash, Brussel Sprouts, Mushrooms, Green Beans, Beets or Chinese Broccoli. For fresh fruit check out the Pomegranates, Tangerines, Limes, Persimmons, Asian Pears, Mandarin Oranges and Grapes. Other produce that's in season includes Walnuts and Honey.

El Segundo is one of the community's fortunate enough to have a Certified Farmers' Market (CFM)! Supporting your local Farmers Market not only gives you the freshest fruits and vegetables but it's also a way to give your local small business owners the support they need to stay in business in an age of large chain stores. So, go on down Thursday between 3 pm and 7 pm to the El Segundo Farmers' Market this week and every week!

This message is supported by James90210 on Active Rain, Localism and all other blogs.