Otay Ranch Farmers Market
Every Tuesday afternoon for the last four years, the main street running down Otay Ranch Town Center has been converted into a gathering place for local growers, food vendors and more for a certified Farmer’s Market where customers can choose countless crates of farm-fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables from dozens of California farmers. With spring in full swing, participating sellers are offering some of the latest seasonal top picks, including asparagus, cherries, avocados, strawberries and heirloom tomatoes.
Many of the vendors also offer great cooking techniques and tips, including this quick lesson on how to turn fresh heirloom tomatoes into delicious toppings for salads and cold pasta:
Dip tomatoes into boiling water to loosen skins, then peel and either slice or quarter.
Dry in a preheated oven at 130-degrees for 6-12 hours (or until crisp).
Once dried, these delicious tomatoes can be kept through the fall season; sprinkle on your favorite salad or any other dish!
Sponsored locally by Lipton, shoppers also can enjoy free, family friendly entertainment each week at the market. Musicians vary by week, but a sample of this year’s spring and summer performers include Mendez Legacy (Latin) and The Frains (Classic Rock).
The newly opened Otay Ranch Branch of the Chula Vista Library at the center also will offer a free story time every week at 5 p.m. in the fireplace lounge with the Summer Reading Program launching in early June and featuring live performances like Amazing Dana Magic Show, Mad Science: Dream Big with Science and the Wild Wonders Animal show, among others. A full rundown of all entertainment is available at www.otayranchtowncenter.com.
“We are proud to have maintained this unique market opportunity for the last four years,” said Tim Colby, senior general manager at Otay Ranch Town Center. “Our guests can enjoy a great selection of produce, specialty food items and live entertainment throughout the year,” he added.
Vendors participating each week offer great food choices and diversity. A small sampling of this season’s vendors include:
Drift Sushi Catering (fresh sushi rolled on the spot)
The Cookie Lady (gourmet cookies and desserts)
Gourmet Tamales (authentic and also with a twist, adding spinach and feta, etc.)
Poppas Fresh Fish (offering oysters)
Flavors of East Africa (Samosas with lentils are a popular seller)
Halphen Red (a local hamburger sauce company selling bottles of their signature sauce as well as burgers and salmon burgers with fries)
The Otay Ranch Farmer’s Market is the only year-round market in the eastern part of South County.
Certified by the County Agricultural Commissioner, the market sells produce that is being sold directly by the grower, is grown in California and meets all California quality standards.
About Otay Ranch Town Center:
With nearly 100 of the country’s top specialty stores, Otay Ranch Town Center is San Diego’s newest and most exciting outdoor shopping and entertainment destination. Eclectic tastes are served by Macy’s, REI, Barnes & Noble, Apple, H&M, Sephora and Anthropologie, to name just a few. On the center’s east side is a specialty fashion and service village featuring Coldwater Creek and other unique fashions and services. To the north, AMC Theatres’ 12 screens delights film buffs while diners can choose from P. F. Chang’s China Bistro, The Cheesecake Factory, King’s Fish House, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Sushi-Ya, California Pizza Kitchen or many on-the-go dining options. This urbane, bustling, open-air center features a wide variety of amenities including outdoor cafes, grand fountains, a pet-friendly setting and adjacent dog park, food pavilion, party space, a fireplace and a “chalk garden” and popper fountain for children. Otay Ranch Town Center is conveniently located 4 ½ miles east of the I-805 or just off the South Bay Expressway SR-125in Chula Vista at Eastlake Parkway and Olympic Parkway. Otay Ranch Town Center is open Monday – Saturday from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. For more information about Otay Ranch Town Center, call (619) 656-9100 or visit www.otayranchtowncenter.com.
Otay Ranch Town Center is owned and managed by General Growth Properties, a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust focused on owning, managing, leasing, and redeveloping regional malls throughout the United States. GGP currently owns, or has an interest in, 135 regional shopping malls comprising approximately 140 million square feet of gross leasable area. GGP is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol GGP.
www.Eastlaketimes.com is an online guide to Eastlake, a master planned community of Chula Vista.
Eastlake News, Sports, Business, Entertainment, Chula Vista Real Estate, and more.
Follow Me:
www.Eastlaketimes.com is an online guide to Eastlake, California, a master planned community of Chula Vista.
Eastlake News, Sports, Business, Entertainment, Chula Vista Real Estate, and more.