National Farmers Market week begins on August 7 and runs through August 13. As a frequenter of the farmers markets, I thought it appropriate to honor some of my favorite vendors. If you live in Los Angeles, one of my favorite markets is the Sunday Brentwood farmers market. It is not huge, but the quality of produce is superb. Purchasing most of my fruits and vegetables for the week, I either visit Brentwood or Sherman Oaks, a smaller market in the valley.
Brentwood Farmers Market
I believe in fresh and local, so my Sunday ritual takes my husband and me to our Farmers Market weekly. Even during the pandemic, we followed the prodigals and continued our weekly pastime. It became a highlight of the pandemic, getting outside on Sunday with a mask and gloves.
Here are three vendors I patronize at the Brentwood Farmers Market that deserve praise.
Country Fresh Herbs
Look out for the fresh herbs, lettuce, beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes at Country Fresh Herbs. People line up for their produce, especially the pre-packaged salad greens and heirloom tomatoes. This business is a family affair started by Michael Fieg. His son Garrett runs the Brentwood Market. If you wear your Yankees, Giants, or Dodger fan, you will likely have an interesting conversation; the Fieg’s are avid Red Sox fans.
Dry Dock Fish
I discovered Dry Dock Fish many years ago at another local Farmers Market. If you like salmon or steelhead, those are very popular top-rated items. Find, Halibut, Swordfish, tuna, scallops, shrimp, and more. People line up to get their weekly allocation of fish. Fortunately, they participate in about 30 local farmers markets throughout Los Angeles.
Dry Dock Fish was established in 1986 by Mark Lewis, whose goal, provide an outstanding selection of high-quality fresh seafood. Dry Dock Fish Company has been a family-owned and operated bus ever since and indeed maintains quality.
Nibbs Club
Not many Farmers Markets offer treats for dogs and cats. Enter the Nibbs Club, where everything is homemade, offering nutritious treats for your pets. Even the most finicky cat or dog will walk away from the Nibbs booth wanting more treats.
The treats are nutritious and designed to accommodate the finicky cat or dog. If your vet prescribes pet meds, the Nibbs Club treats come in balls, perfect to use for your pet to ingest pills. The flavorful balls come in flavors such as salmon, one of the most popular, turkey, beef, chicken, and Italian Meatballs, to name a few. Nibbs club also makes treats made with oats, peanut butter, coconut oil, chia seeds, and pumpkin. All products are free of hormones, antibiotics, and preservatives. In addition, they are low in saturated fat, high in protein, grain-free, and dairy-free. These products avoid using corn, soy, fillers, and chemicals.
Grumble the treats on top of a dog or cat’s regular food to add flavor. I have watched hesitant owner dogs devour the treats.
Amy Huynh came from the medical industry and had an epiphany when her dog, Max, had issues with processed dog food and treats. This experience resulted in Amy experimenting with healthy, nutritious recipes for her dog. Her chemistry background came in handy in developing the right food for cats and dogs. She also worked with veterinarians and health experts to perfect her products. From this, the birth of the Nibbs Club became a reality.
Amy likes to give back to the community by supporting pet-related charities. She currently works with two charities, the DoVE Project (which rescues pets from the meat trade in Korea) and the Humane Society of Ventura County. Amy does cross promotion for their events and pups that need adoption. She also helps rescues and shelters obtain resources, products, and supplies by running donation drives.
Remember to support your local farmers market during National Farmers Market week and all year.