Last Call for Summer Produce

The recent heat wave has West Hollywood Farmers' Market stands overflowing with corn, melon and tomatoes, but the rare abundance of peak summer produce could mean a last call for this season's treats.

Some final summer favorites appeared at the  stand Monday. Fresh ears of white and yellow corn, beautiful pods of purple and green okra—a crunchy summer vegetable that grows well in hot, humid and tropical conditions, and Chinese long beans caught the eyes of market-goers.

“We kept waiting for the summer to come, but it didn’t until the end of August,” said Chua Moua of Moua Family Farms. “It’s not so much the temperature, but these summer items need the extended daylight to grow and the days are now getting shorter."

Moua also had fresh branches of purslane, a late-summer, early autumn garden leaf that has a crunchy texture and a mild, sweet-sour flavor. Purslane is good to mix into a salad or as a vegetable for soups.

was selling the last of its watermelons and honeydew, with heirloom varieties such as Cherokee, green zebras and clusters of small cherry and grape tomatoes over at the stand. 

“Tomatoes really develop a lot more flavor when it’s hot outside,” said Martin Zermino, who runs the Valdivia Farms stand. He believes the heat wave has made the melons and tomatoes juicier and sweeter than they were last month. 

The West Hollywood Farmers' Market is held every Monday (rain or shine) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at , 1200 N. Vista St.