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Old Monterey Farmer’s Market on Alvarado Street
The sights, sounds and smells of the Old Monterey Farmer’s Market on Alvarado Street entice your senses the moment you get near. Vendors line the street selling fresh organic Medjool dates, turnips, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, artichokes, persimmons, lemons, grapefruit, apricots, almonds, raspberries & strawberries. Buckets of colorful flowers are scattered nearby. Street musicians play eclectic melodies on guitars, mandolins and violins as dogs lie dolefully next to them. Walk further along, and you will hear the crackling sound of Edith Piaf tinkling in the air. A man in a brown hat is playing very old records on an antique Victrola he has set up curbside.
Life seems genuine and easy here, and you can slowly peruse everything pervading your senses. Two young girls are selling pineapple flavored cotton candy. There is a woman selling hats and another with hand-made jewelry. Next to her, a man hawks his organic eggs and glass jars of local honey. A grizzled fellow with exotic red and blue parrots and white cockatoos stands on the corner. Local bakeries have set up tables filled with pastries, baklava, donuts, cookies, cupcakes, churros, biscotti, pies, brownies, muffins and more. There is the smell of tamales, fried squid, and falafel melding in the air. In Monterey, variety is indeed the spice of life. You will find every cuisine here, including Indian, Mexican, Japanese, French, Cuban, Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Thai, & Korean, to name but a few.
Cannery Row and Fisherman’s Wharf are great, but if you are visiting Monterey and really want the whole Monterey cultural experience, you really have to check out the Old Monterey Farmer’s Market. It is located on Alvarado Street between Del Monte and Pearl every Tuesday. Hours are October through April: 4:00-7:00 pm and May through September: 4:00-8:00 pm. You will NOT be disappointed! For more information, see oldmontereyfarmersmarket
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Butterfly Town: Pacific Grove
What do butterflies and quaint seaside Victorian houses have in common? Pacific Grove! Called “PG” by the locals, it is a quiet town filled with history and charm. It was originally a Methodist Church camp in the late 1800s and nowadays boasts more historical houses per capita than anywhere in California. Perhaps owing to its pious history, it was the last dry town in California and did not serve liquor until 1969! It is also known as Butterfly Town, due to the thousands of monarch butterflies that overwinter here on the Monterey pines and eucalyptus trees. You can see them at the Monarch Grove Sanctuary beginning in October through March, when they take flight to migrate as far away as Canada, laying their eggs on milkweed plants along the way. Every October, the town of PG holds a Butterfly Parade to celebrate the return of the monarchs, and the school children don colorful butterfly wings and march through the town. These gorgeous creatures are becoming endangered due to deforestation and development, and PG takes this very seriously. If you kill or threaten a butterfly in PG, you can get slapped with a $1000.00 fine. You can help support the butterfly population by planting milkweed! I did last year and hope to spot some of our orange & black friends at my farm.
Pacific Grove is also home to the famed “Lover’s Point”, where Asilomar State Beach begins. Asilomar means “asylum or refuge by the sea”, and it fits this description perfectly. If you are looking for the best place to watch the sunset, this is it! It is pure heaven to wander along the wonderful walking/running trail lined with exotic shrubs and flowers next to the rocky coast and crashing waves and is one of my favorite places to take my dog for a walk. You can stop to examine the tide pools or watch the sailboats along the way.
The Asilomar Conference Center, part of the Asilomar State Beach, was designed by Julia Morgan. Morgan is also famously known for being the architect of Hearst Castle, which lies much further down the coast. Asilomar was originally built in the early 1900s for the YWCA, and still retains a very lodge-like Arts and Crafts/Mission look, with wonderful shingled and stone buildings, cozy fireplaces and gorgeous lighting. Did you know that the first national discussion regarding recombinant DNA was held at Asilomar? Do you care? Just thought I’d throw that in there.
In July, PG hosts the Feast of Lanterns, a Chinese festival that lasts for a week and you will see lanterns hanging all over town at this time. In December, you can walk down “Candy Cane Lane”, and see all the festive lights and decorations for the holidays. There is also a tour of the amazing inns and bed and breakfasts at this time of year. My favorite is the Green Gables Inn, but really, they are all pretty amazing. There is always, ALWAYs something fun going on in PG!
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Farm Life in the Monterey Countryside in June
It’s life on the farm as usual. A bluebelly lizard is performing push-ups on the woodpile. He looks at me as if to assess my reaction. My goats, Anushka and Aliyah, are grazing nearby, chewing dead leaves and nibbling the moss on the fence posts. Harold, the rooster, stands nearby, and at times dances over to me, shaking his tail feathers. We have a love/hate relationship, Harold and I. He is either attacking me or flirting with me. He lives with Anushka and Aliyah in the little goat house and I believe he thinks he is a goat. Anushka and Aliyah love to eat, and unfortunately, are starting to eat their goat house just as Hansel & Gretel ate their gingerbread house in the fairy tale. Wildflowers are starting to bloom: pink shooting stars, deep purple lupines, and wild yellow jonquils are scattered over the hillside. Baby quails totter after their parents, who seem to cry out “Be careful! Be careful!” Hopefully, your weekend is filled with much peacefulness and happiness!
