Delicious figs and/or persimmons?

[highforpie]

Hi, I am searching for good quality figs and/or persimmons. Lately I have tried some at Trader Joe's and also local Persian markets, and although they have been okay, I wanted to know if anyone has any go-to sources for better quality. Any farmers' markets that have tasty ones lately? Anywhere on the west side to downtown please. Thanks in advance.

[LisaStitch]

Santa Monica farmer's market for persimmons - any vendor who has them has great ones. There have been times I've been desperate and gone last-minute to Gelsons and Ralph's and found them almost inedible.

Persimmons and avocados are the two produce items that I now will only ever buy at a farmer's market, never a regular store.

[glutton]

If you go to the Wednesday Santa Monica farmers market, you can get the best persimmons at Reiger Farms. Jeff Reiger appreciates persimmons more than just about anybody in the world. He has many types (the brown sugar persimmon is staggering) and he practices the rare Japanese art of drying/massaging persimmons. It's called hoshigaki and while it's not cheap, the resulting dried persimmon is amazingly good.

[highforpie]

Thanks everyone, I think I'm going to try the SM Farmer's Market this week-can someone confirm the day of the week-Tues. or Wed.???

[fdb]

Wed.

[fishyak]

A variety called "Turkey Figs" (looks close to the Mission Fig) was available today at Studio City Ranch Market and earlier at Hollywood RM as well. Had some then and they were just fine.

[silverlakebodhisattva]

Chowspouse had some last week from Superking (I remember because she asked "How come they're 'Turkey Figs', not 'Turkish figs'?") and thought they were pretty good.

[FED]

the farmer selling those figs is from the imperial valley, where it is almost always summer, except when it is even hotter.

[Das Ubergeek]

Those are, however, the only figs you'll get until the breba crop ripens in June... the height of fig season is September. The Brown Turkeys (also available at the Irvine CFM on Saturday mornings across from UCI) are OK, but they're not the luscious wonders like the Mission and green figs.

[Fru]

I bought some Brown Turkeys from Davall Dates at the Saturday Pasadena market and decided to eat one just now...delicious! Don't know how much longer they will have them as I didn't ask. Joe, whose farm I can't remember the name of, (again at the Saturday Pasadena market) has both the Japanese and soft varieties of persimmons as well as one called "Chocolate" named for it's brown interior.

[Jerome]

I think the brown turkey figs are wonderful.
The seller at the Santa Monica farmers market wednesdays is at the northern end of second st on the west side of the street.

[FED]

That's the same stand: Davall Dates. Brown turkeys are good figs, though there are others in season that are much better, though they are available for a much shorter time.

[Professor Salt]

I saw fresh figs at the Santa Monica farmers market last Wednesday. They were at a vendor on 2nd Street, a couple stalls next to the Windrose Farms stand.

They caught me by surprise because I thought figs are a summer fruit, but there they were. Didn't try them, though. Persimmons are all over the market. I saw several varieties beside the usual Hachiya and Fuyu

[fdb]

Today I saw some good-looking persimmons at Farm Boys in Palms but I didn't get any so don't know about their taste. They also have figs but look under-ripe. I normally go to Marina Farms. Very good persimmons on my last visit a couple weeks ago.

[glutton]

Figs are pretty much out of season. You can still find them at places like TJs, but they're not as sweet as they are during the peak season. Your best bet is dried figs this time of year.

As for persimmons, there are tons of options. Farmers markets all over the westside have plenty of them. They're typically $1-2.50 per pound. Personally, I like fuyu persimmons and those are great at the moment. Any farmers market you go to will give you plenty of persimmon choices -- they're at their peak.