Polito Farms featured in LA Times

This time of year, I'm seriously addicted to citrus. I have been downing Satsuma tangerines and Valencia oranges from Polito Family Farms by the pound (I'm actually eating one now as I type). And it looks like I'm not alone--the LA Times food section this week has a nice feature on Bob Polito. Check it out: This Farmer Has a Zest for Experimentation.

The article highlights the history of his Vally Center farm, how he came to grow what he grows, and the importance of farmers' markets for farmer's financial success. Be sure to read to the end--the last section of the article gives an overview of the hardships farmers in San Diego County have faced over the past five years.

After you read the piece, be sure to check out Polito's produce first hand. They're at the Pacific Beach farmers' market every Saturday.

Also in today's LA Times food section is a great article on 100 things to do with a meyer lemon. Polito has them, if you're interested. They've got a thin rind, and are much sweeter than a typical lemon--you can eat a slice and not pucker up seconds after the juice hits your tastebuds. (I also happened to be gifted a gorgeous Meyer lemon tree last month, so I'm particularly excited to see this article.)

I'd love to see more articles like this in our papers. I was just having a conversation last night about how odd it is that while the chef seems to have reached celebrity status in our world, the growers of our food all too often pass by under the radar, unnamed and uncelebrated. You can't have chefs without food folks--here's to celebrating our growers.