You are walking through downtown Riverside on a sunny November morning suddenly craving some fresh, sweet fruit. It always seems like the produce in grocery stores goes bad immediately or is not in season. Thankfully, there is an outdoor event that occurs each weekend filled with deliciously fresh food that you will want to eat immediately. Here are some things you can look forward to at the Riverside farmers market.
When you first walk into this outdoor market from the entrance of 5th and Main Street, you are met with a series of food trucks showcasing local cuisines and small food businesses. Families walk slowly or eagerly chase their little ones from truck to truck, sampling the various food offerings. For me personally, the standout options were the Old Town Baking Company and SunnyFresh Bowls & Smoothies stands. Old Town Baking Company had a wide range of freshly baked breads and pastries that looked absolutely mouthwatering.
They had various sourdough flavors (kalamata olives, rosemary garlic and jalapeño cheese to name a few) as well as chocolate pound cake and chocolate drop cookies. SunnyFresh’s acai bowls were very refreshing and the perfect treat for a hot day. Their menu featured so many different flavors of smoothies and acai bowls, such as their mango bowl and ube bowl, that it was hard to pick just one. There was also a coffee and matcha truck, a Tea Rose House truck (a shop based in Hemet that sells loose-leaf teas) and a stand with deep fried pasta bites.
When we turned away from the food trucks, our eyes caught on white tents that line either side of this small stretch of road. A musician in the intersection serenaded the boulevard as we followed the curve of the road to an aisle of produce stands. While there was a massage booth and a couple stalls for flowers and plants, primarily food and produce was sold. Vendors from all over the Southern California area, as well as right here in Riverside, came out to sell their produce.
Everything from eggs to blueberries, and even flower bouquets and house plants can be found here. The strawberries and grapes were some of the juiciest and ripest fruit I have ever eaten. You could practically taste the sweetness before you even ate them and there was a surprisingly good deal for them (two baskets of strawberries and one basket of mixed berries for $10 at one stand).
Even the vegetables were only $5 when you mixed and matched the ones you purchased. I will definitely be going back to get more of those strawberries, and perhaps a bouquet to brighten up my living area. There was a gentle, casual atmosphere to this market. People bought produce or sampled honey and apple cider as if it was their weekend routine. It was lovely to be brought into this fold for even a brief moment.
Every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the heart of the Arts & Culture District, an intimate farmers market gathers on Main Street. In addition to getting fresh produce that tastes better than the ones in the grocery store, it is a perfect way to support a range of local businesses and restaurants. Bring your friends or roommates and make a day trip out of it. With nearly every food group available, you will surely be able to create a balanced meal with ingredients that you know are freshly picked.
