Don't Let The Rain Dampen Your Spirits - Rainy Day Shopping Tips For The Studio City Farmers Market

It’s 5:30 a.m. and as I gaze out my kitchen window all I can see are dark clouds and the chilly fog that comes into my neighborhood off of Lake Balboa when it is cold and rainy. (I use the word “lake” with a snicker because it is anything but a lake, however, lake sounds much more romantic than water reclamation pond.) I don my rain boots, which I love to wear, my warmest pair of somewhat waterproof pants, my warmest gloves, coat, hat and scarf and make my way out into the dark knowing that I am going to be soaked to the bone by the end of the day. The Market is like the Post Office; we are open rain or shine.

I take solace in the fact that there are close to 150 other people who have gotten up even earlier than I have, and have had to drive great distances to come to Studio City to get as wet and cold as I know I will. What I worry about is that, because of the rain, very few people will come out to see all of the wet and weary farmers and artisans, and that the market will be for naught today.

When I was a kid, heck, even as an adult, I loved the rain. Lately, I love the rain only when I don’t have to be out in it. Boy have I become a party pooper. I used to take my kids out to splash in the puddles, have races with sticks and leaves in the streams of water that run along the curbs, and slip and slide and giggle in the wet grass in our garden. I didn’t mind getting a little wet. The best part was drying off in front of a warm fire with a cup of hot tea or a glass nice wine.

Thinking about those times makes me want to give playing in the rain a second chance. We all should! This is the last big storm of the season and we won’t see rain for at least another 8 months, so I say, let’s not let a little water dampen our spirits or sense of adventure. Let’s go out, get shopping, get wet and enjoy doing it. In the spirit of this adventure here is my guide for shopping the market in the rain.

First, prepare the house for your return. If you have a fireplace, get it ready for building a cozy fire. Pull out a few warm blankets, find a really good book or queue up the VCR so that you can catch up on back episodes of Downton Abbey or The Simpsons, or pull out your favorite old movie, pull out the tea cups and tea, fill the kettle, and decide on a shopping list. Call a friend and invite him or her to join in your adventure, or coax the kids or your partner to join you. It’s always more fun when you have a someone to share in the adventure with you. Now, get ready for the weather. Put on a really cool pair of galoshes if you have them (mine have daisies on them), otherwise a pair of shoes that don’t mind getting wet, put on a warm sweatshirt or sweater and a waterproof jacket or coat, and bring along your biggest most colorful umbrella. Grab the keys, run for the car, tune the radio to your favorite music station and head to the market.

You’re going to want to park as close as possible to the vendors. Greg, our parking maven, will be happy to assist you with this when you get to the market. Plan your shopping so that you start at one spot in the market and make a loop so that you end up at the same spot. So for instance, I will be picking up some sweet potato soup from Organic Soup Kitchen to eat for lunch while I enjoy my fire, and for dinner, roasted winter squash with arugula, Parmigiano Reggiano and pancetta (I’ll give you the recipe), some kind of fish (from our phenomenal fish vendor Oscar at Fisherman’s Catch) and a kale salad. I’m going to start at The Grove, which is to the right of the parking lot driveway that goes onto Ventura Place and pick up one of their organic winter squashes and a lemon or two. They are the only vendor with winter squash right now.

There will be a big puddle just to the right of their booth, which if there is no one close by, you should definitely splash in just once, being careful not to get Zack and Deborah (the smiling faces behind the counter at The Grove) wet. Puddle splashing protocol requires that no innocent by-standers be dampened by one’s exuberant splashing, so check with anyone close by before doing so. Who knows, perhaps they may want to join in.

Living Lettuce Farms is just a few booths to the right of The Grove (if you are facing Zach and Deborah) and has great arugula as well as baby kale, which is great because it requires no work to put into a salad. As you walk between booths, imagine you are with Mary Poppins and twirl your umbrella once or twice and give a hop, skip and a jump. If anyone looks at you like you are mad, well they might be right, but you’ll be enjoying yourself so much, frankly, you won’t care.

Now, dash to the other side of the market and grab a cup of hot vegetable broth from Rob at Dave’s Korean Food (almost directly across from Living Lettuce) so that you can warm up your fingers and your spirits and head for Fisherman’s catch, about 6 booths to the right if you are facing Rob. Huddle under Oscar’s canopy while you decide between the salmon, tuna, black cod, tilapia, or the scallops. Once you have reeled in your catch, go next door to Old Town Bakery and pick out a loaf of fruit and nut bread to have with your soup and some Irish soda bread for dinner. 

Now the final purchase, soup. Leave the protection of Michael’s canopy and dash over to the Organic Soup Kitchen to pick up your soup. Might as well pick up some pasta sauce and kale chips while you are there too. Anthony and Drea will most likely offer you a small cup of hot soup to sip while you puddle jump your way back to your car.

Having successfully finished your shopping, run back to the parking lot, making sure to step in as many puddles as you possibly can. Jump in the car with all of your goodies, turn the heat on high, and get ready for a cozy afternoon of warmth and delicious healthy food.

See you Sunday, rain or shine!

P.S. Here is the recipe for the Winter Squash with Arugula and Pancetta

Winter Squash with Arugula and Pancetta

1 winter squash such as butternut, kabocha, delicata or acorn

Some arugula, the amount will depend on the size of the squash and the number of people you are serving. I’d say about 1 cup for an acorn squash and as much as three cups for a large butternut or kabocha.

¼ to ½ cup of cooked pancetta or bacon, again depending on the size of the squash, or if you prefer not to use meat, toasted walnuts or almonds roughly chopped and some dried cranberries or currants ¼ to ½ cup of each

¼ to ½ cup of shaved Parmigiano Reggiano

1 to 3 Tablespoons of honey

Juice of one lemon

Olive Oil for drizzling

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel the squash and cut into cubes. Toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes or until squash is tender and beginning to brown a bit. Remove from the oven and toss with some honey, again the amount will depend on the size of the squash. Put back in the oven for about 7 minutes.

When the squash is done cooking, put it in a bowl or on a platter and top with the arugula, pancetta or nuts and fruit, and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. Drizzle with a little lemon juice and olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt to finish off. Will serve from 2 to 6 people.