AGRICULTURE vegetables and flowers at Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets locations in Monterey (Fridays and Sundays from 8am-noon at Del Monte Shopping Center) and Carmel (9am-1pm Tuesdays at the Barnyard). The waiting list for vendors is long, sometimes 10 years. There’s good reason for that, says Executive Director Catherine Barr: Not only are these great avenues for selling, but it’s also like a family. “They’re not only farmers, but friends,” she says. Vendors celebrate together and support each other in hard times—and it’s something they’ve been doing for 50 solid years. BEST FARMERS MARKET VENDOR Everyone’s Harvest (831) 384-6961, everyonesharvest.org Imagine Candyland, but instead of gumdrops and lollipops on the board, there are carrots, strawberries and cabbages for everyone, regardless of income. It’s not a game but serious business for Everyone’s Harvest, the nonprofit host of farmers markets in Marina, Seaside, Salinas and Pacific Grove. Through community food programs, Everyone’s Harvest makes it easier to afford fresh produce—Market Match discounts for EBT shoppers, free boxes through Farms Together, and FreshRX to fill a doctor’s orders. “We want people to be able to afford the food they’d like to eat, especially healthy food,” Executive Director Hester Parker says. It’s a mission Weekly readers have again endorsed. BEST SPECIALTY CROP Artichokes Many are familiar with Wordle, a daily word game that blossomed during the pandemic. But have you heard of Worldle? This game gives you the shape—or “silhouette”—of a territory or country, and players try their hand at guessing which one it is. Now, for a twist: What if you were given the silhouette of a very special Monterey County vegetable, along with the hint “Artichoke Capital of the World”? Duh, the answer would be Castroville, a tiny town surrounded by fields exploding with artichokes. The leafy crop with the big, fuzzy core has stolen readers’ hearts (pun intended) for the last 61 years—and it steals their hearts once again as our favorite specialty crop. BEST LOCAL CROP Strawberries In Monopoly, the goal is to drive everyone else into bankruptcy, and the way to do it is to place expensive properties in the finest of places. The cash cow of the game: putting a hotel on the Boardwalk—the most expensive location with the highest payouts for the unlucky players who land there. Well, if Monterey County was a Monopoly game, planting strawberries on Boardwalk or Park Place would put you in the money. Or look at it this way: Last year saw a record-breaking gross production value of approximately $1.039 billion from strawberries in Monterey County. 46 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2025 montereycountynow.com/bestof Thank you for voting us Best Local Ag Educator hartnell.edu
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