Janet Braver showing granola packs from “Grammy’s Granola.”

UCSD Farmers' Market
Serves Up Fresh Produce, BBQ Chicken, Salsa, Made-to-Order Crepes and Oh, Such Colorful Flowers!

By Jan Jennings | October 11, 2004

Offering everything from pretzels the size of a loaf of bread to tomato varieties, ranging from green to yellow to bright red, to sizzling barbecued chicken, the UCSD Farmers’ Market made its debut appearance this quarter on Library Walk and Lyman Lane. It will reappear every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – except over the winter holidays – throughout the school year.

Baby carrots, huge grapes, green beans, corn, avocados, peppers, olives and olive oil, squash and gourds, and homemade salsa are all available. Especially popular are the varieties of fresh multi-colored flowers.

Angelica Carranza, left, and Robin Young, salivate over a tamale. Both are seniors at Muir.

Then there are knishes, pocket pastries from Cohen’s Knishes, and granola from Janet Braver’s “Grammy’s Granola.”

“I named my granola business ‘Grammy’s Granola’ when I had my first grandchild,” says Braver, who is a vendor in Farmers’ Markets throughout the county with her specialty snacks made with granola.

“Knishes,” says Marina Kay Cohen of Cohen’s Knishes, “are pocket pastries made with a variety of ingredients. One is with potatoes, curry and a vegetable blend, another with potatoes and garlic. Each is a meal in itself.”

Calling the knishes, “walking food,” nutrition that can be enjoyed by the on-the-move, busy person, Cohen also offers ‘Superfood Bars’ – peanut or almond bars suitable for a between classes break or a booster during a long test.

Bonnie Harmon, Farmers’ Market Manager, talking with market goer. (Information booth)

As for the flowers, market goers from students to staff and faculty can brighten their offices, rooms, and homes – or charm that special significant other – with this traditional specialty of area Farmers’ Markets. The UCSD Farmers’ Market offers fresh flowers from two flower vendors.

The Farmers’ Market is co-sponsored by SOLO (Student Organizations and Leadership Opportunities) and the Sunshine Store, a convenience store and a department of the UCSD Bookstore.

“The UCSD Farmers’ Market is typical of the Farmers’ Markets in the area, such as the La Jolla Open Aire Market which takes place each Sunday at the La Jolla Elementary School,” says Farmers’ Market manager Bonnie Harmon, who also manages the UCSD Sunshine Store. “We are working closely with local farmers who supply their produce and with the various vendors who supply their specialties. Not only is the market practical, but it also provides a festive environment on campus.”

Marilyn Bohle, a Chancellor’s Associate, with her daughter Julie Mills and son, Dylan, 3, check out some produce.

Harmon says the idea for a Farmers’ Market at UCSD has been in the planning stages for some time and came about in response to several on-campus surveys of students who requested affordable fresh produce and food. Harmon has been consulting with Darcy Young of the La Jolla Open Aire Market for general information on the farmer’s market to make it a reality on campus.

Delia Constant, an administrative assistant at Scripps, with vendor Jesus Medina showing her a variety of tomato.

“The Sunshine Store cannot offer the quantity of fresh items, nor can we have a steady turn-around of fresh produce and baked goods,” Harmon says. “The Farmers’ Market is the ideal solution, not only for the students, but for faculty and staff as well.”

And if fresh produce is not for you, the Farmers’ Market has freshly made tamales, fruit cups created while you watch, morning-made coffee cakes and breads, and French gourmet crepes made on-the-spot to order.

For further information on the UCSD Farmers’ Market contact Harmon at (858) 534-4248 or bharmon@ucsd.edu.