Farmers Market Series: Long Beach Downtown [52 in 52]

Day: Friday
Time: 10am – 4pm
Location: City Place Shopping Center along North Waite Court (Promenade North) between E 5th Street and E 3rd Street
Parking: Two hours of free parking in City Place Parking Lot A (enter on E 5th Street 1/2 block east of Pine Avenue) and City Place Parking Lot C (enter on E 3rd Street just east of Pine Avenue)

The Long Beach Downtown Farmers Market is held on Fridays from 10am – 4pm on N Waite Court/Promenade North in the City Place Shopping Center. The market stretches from E 5th Street on the north side to E 3rd Street on the south side.

View Long Beach Downtown Farmers Market in a larger map

The produce sellers are set up in the north part of the market in a small lot along 5th street (between Parking Lot B and North Waite Court/Promenade North) and on the west side of North Waite Court/Promenade North between E 5th Street and E 4th Street. The east side of North Waite Court/Promenade North between E 5th Street and E 4th Street down through both sides of North Waite Court/Promenade North from E 4th Street to E 3rd Street is primarily prepared food and miscellaneous craft, clothing and accessory vendors.

My Visit

For my second stop in the Los Angeles Farmers Market Series: 52 Farmers Markets in 52 Weeks, I arrived at the Long Beach Downtown Farmers Market shortly after 10am and found it already bustling with shoppers. I parked in City Place Parking Lot C (the main entrance to the lot is off of E 3rd Street about 1/2 block east of Pine Avenue) and walked out onto the Promenade on North Waite Court by E 3rd Street.

Beginning at the corner of North Waite Court and E 3rd Street I walked north along North Waite Court/Promenade North. The block from E 3rd Street to E 4th Street was filled with hot food vendors, prepared food and a variety of other non-food exhibitors.

After crossing E 4th Street I continued north along North Waite Court/Promenade North. The east side of the street north of 4th has more hot, cold and prepared food. The west side of the market between E 4th Street and E 5th Street is where the produce vendors are set up.

In the produce area I found a nice variety of fruits and vegetables – all of the staples plus some unusual fruits and vegetables. There are a few organic farms and two others that advertise pesticide-free farming. Gama Farms offers delicious cage free eggs in addition to their produce. When my daughter asked if she could munch on the grapes we bought from Gama, the lovely woman selling generously grabbed a handful from her stash behind the table and washed them with some of their drinking water so that my daughter could snack on them as we shopped. I also bought yukon potatoes, shallots and garlic for a potato casserole recipe from Gama – everything was delicious.

Ha’s Apples was offering samples of all their delicious fruits including a delicious combo of peaches and papaya melon. The honeydew-like flavor of the melon with the peaches is heavenly. My daughter scored a cute apple sculpture before we left Ha’s stand.

I bought a few pink lady apples as well as a melon and a bunch of peaches and made a small fruit salad as soon as I got home. Yum!

I definitely liked the variety of sellers at Long Beach Downtown. The convenient free parking and the proximity to the City Place Shopping Center makes it an attractive location. Between the prepared food stands and the samples from the produce sellers you can definitely eat your way through the market and find everything on your shopping list to boot.

Here is a list of the regular vendors found at the Long Beach Downtown Farmers Market:

South End (E 3rd Street to E 4th Street)

Non-Certified Vendors (Hot, cold and prepared foods) and Exhibitors

The Dog
Sausages, dogs and bacon wraps

The Peanut Dudes
Variety of nuts and dried fruits

Churros

Non-food exhibitors: Jewelry, Crafts, Bonsai, Hats, Clothing, Sheets, Skin Care, Kitchen Gadget and Forest Lawn Mortuary

North End (E 4th Street to E 5th Street)

More Non-Certified Vendors (Hot, cold and prepared foods) and Exhibitors

Sno Biz
Shaved ice in biodegradable cups

HulaPop Kettlecorn
San Pedro
Kettlecorn in a variety of flavors: original, caramel, cheddar and more

Nolin Roasted Corn
Roasted corn – “sweet white corn roasted to perfection”

Mabel’s Gourmet Pralines
Long Beach
New Orleans gourmet pralines and pies

Old Town Baking Company
Rancho Cucamonga
Breads, cakes

Mom’s Specialty Foods
Orange
Mediterranean food: Pita, hummus, spreads, taboule salad, tapanades and more

Deli 456 – The Village Cookie Shoppe
Cookies, cake and brownies

Grill Masters
“L.A.’s Best Rotisserie Chicken”

QT’s Smokehouse BBQ
BBQ beef, pork ribs, chicken, turkey legs, sausage with potato salad and baked beans

Mathew Fruit Cups
Fresh fruit ready to eat

Me Gusta Gourmet Tamales
Pacoima
Tamales to-go or ready-to-eat – beef, pork, chicken, vegetable, chile cheese, corn

Los Alamos Mexican Food
Mexican food, combo plates with rice and beans

Peanut Dudes
A second stand at the opposite end of the market!
Variety of nuts and dried fruits

Certified Vendors (Growers)

Starting just north of E 4th Street on the west side of the street and moving north on North Waite Court/Promenade North and clockwise around the small lot on E 5th Street:

Smith Farms (Most Organic)
Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach and Irvine
Certified Organic & Conventionally Grown Fruits & Vegetables

MB Farms (Mark Boujikian’s Farm)
Fresno
Dried fruit & nuts, grapes, figs, peaches, nectarines, plums

Rivas Farms
Vista
Vegetables, strawberries and melons

Sunrise Flowers
Oxnard and Ventura
Cut flowers and avocados

Van Foeken Farms
Ivanhoe
Fruit- citris, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, figs, pears, pomegranates and persimmons

Sherrill Orchards
Arvin
Juices (apple, pomegranate, orange, carrot and blends), jellies and pomegranates

Santiago Farms
Nipomo
Berries, carrots and onions

Shigeru Flowers
Oxnard
Cut flowers

Tamai Farms
Oxnard
Vegetables, strawberries, melons and herbs

Gless Ranch
Riverside
Citrus, avocados and dates

Tenerelli Orchards (July – November)
Escondido
Cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots, apples, figs and pears

Beyond Bok Choy Farm (April – December)
Fresno
Vegetables, tomatoes, melons and herbs

Avitua/Walker Farms
Exeter
Fruits and nuts: apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarine, plums, pears, grapes, figs, grapefruit, melons, oranges, kiwis, avocados, persimmons, jujubes, pomelos, almonds, macadamias, pecans, pistachios and walnuts

Ha’s Apple Farm (Organic)
Tehachapi
Apples (huge variety: Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Cameo, Orin, Red Delicious and more), apple products (spreads, jams, jellies, cider vinegar, chips and fruit roll-ups), raspberries, peaches, melons, grapes, pears and pomegranates

Gama Farms (Pesticide Free)
Arvin and Fullerton
Eggs, potatoes, onions, shallots, garlic, oranges, carrots, yams, beets, raisins, Swiss chard, lettuce, cherries, tomatoes, melons, grapes and more

Meños Farms (Organic)
Riverside
Vegetables

Gonzaga Farms
Tulare County
Fruits and vegetables

Gaytan Family Farms
Mira Loma
Strawberries and vegetables

Kowalke Family Sprouts (Organic)
Topanga
Sprouts and wheatgrass juice

Nejely Orchards
Specialty fruits: cherimoyas, guavas, kumquats, loquats, mulberries, quinces, sapotes, tangelos, sweet limes and avocadoes

Garcia Family Farm (Pesticide Free)
Fresno
Fruits and vegetables

Aroma Orchids
Mission Viejo
Live orchids

Erickson Farms (May only)
Fresno
Cherries

Energy Bee Farm
Los Angeles
Raw honey from local bee hives in Santa Clarita, Santa Monica Mountains and Palos Verdes, dried fruit & nuts

Captain Cactus
Long Beach
Potted succulents