The shiny teal pickup truck that gleams in the parking lot at Earle’s on Crenshaw. The maze-like Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, where a cozy dessert shop and stylish restaurant hide behind multilevel parking garages. The 780-foot-long “Great Wall of Crenshaw” mural that depicts key points and figures throughout Black history.

At farmers markets, you often get produce with higher nutritional value and greater flavor. Now through an online portal, you can order for pick-up or home delivery.

The juice is stocked and the grills are hot at the Watts-Willowbrook Farmer's Market, which reopened Wednesday for the first time since the pandemic.

Inside A Nonprofit D2C Online Farmers' Market Program That Helps Local Economies Thrive

It is early in the morning, but the farmers have been up earlier — even before dawn, packing their trucks, driving to L.A. and preparing for a busy Hollywood Farmers’ Market day. Some have traveled from as far as Fresno.

Every Thursday, people come to the Central Avenue farmers market at E. 43rd Street in downtown Los Angeles to find fresh produce from local growers – bright red tomatoes, vibrant broccoli and crisp cauliflower. The prices might discourage some low-income customers from shopping there, but this market is different.

Even in a city as expansive as Los Angeles, you get a small-town feel when you stroll through a farmers’ market. Over time, the freshly-baked-bread vendor might remember your name, and you’ll always find at least a few kids crowding by the berry stands, hoping for a taste of the sweet locally grown strawberries.

The Crenshaw Farmers’ Market serves the Angeles Mesa, Hyde Park, Leimert Park, View Park/Windsor Hills, and Baldwin Hills neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Market correspondent Gillian Ferguson speaks with Marie-Elise Recasner de Marco, who has managed the market for years and is now in its third week at its new location in front of historic Fire Station No. 54. The market experienced several moves since it opened in 2005.

Fruitful Collaboration Benefits All at SEE-LA’s Atwater Village Farmers’ Market

For the past 12 years, vibrant laughter, smiling faces, sun hats and babies in strollers have graced the corner of Glendale Boulevard at Larga Avenue on Sunday mornings. The Atwater Village Farmers’ Market— run by the nonprofit organization Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA)—offers a sense of home to its guests.

Established in 2006, the Echo Park Farmers’ Market has flourished and become one of the most popular attended markets in Los Angeles. This weekly hosted event gathers 15 local farmers every Friday to line up their assortment of goods, from fresh fruits and veggies to baked bread to handcrafted decor.

The market is open at 3 p.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m. on Logan St., at Sunset Blvd. Guests can park at 1147 Echo Park Ave.

Los Angeles is home to many farmers markets, from Brentwood and Mar Vista to Hollywood and Silver Lake.

Spend one of your mornings at an outdoor market, gathering all your week-long grocery needs, fresh from the source and reasonably priced. Be sure to arrive early to score seasonal fruits and vegetables and hormone-free animal products from local vendors.

Walking through the Compton College Farmers Market on opening day, Adriana Regalado Aguilar loves checking out all the fresh produce. The Compton native recently earned two associate’s degrees while juggling work as a nurse’s assistant.

“Sometimes it’s stressful, especially focusing on school and being a full-timer, even a part-time student, nutrition is key,” she said.