Upland Springs Back Into Business

The Upland farmers market, which recently reopened for the season, is small but organized with integrity. It’s flanked by three blocks of a street festival, under different management, featuring crafts, music and prepared foods such as Domino’s Pizza.

Last Thursday, Barbara Applegate sold fine wildflower and buckwheat honeys from the hills south of Riverside. Bees from her 600 hives were busy gathering orange blossom honey, which she’ll have this week.

Koreen Strandberg of Corona had sweet Washington navel oranges, pleasingly tart Nagami kumquats and buttery, top-quality Fuerte and Pinkerton avocados. She also brought Eureka lemons, the standard variety, and a few Variegated Pink lemons, with green-and-yellow-striped rinds and pink pulp.

The Rosendahl stand, which draws on farms in 18 locations in the San Joaquin Valley, had gigantic Chandler pummelos and Lane Late navel oranges.

From nearby Ontario, Maria Cabral brought large fava beans, which need to be shelled and peeled before being steamed or added to soups and stews. She also had Camarosa strawberries that were surprisingly tender for that rugged commercial variety, and a bargain at $4 for 3 pints. Kelly Farms, also of Ontario, displayed rows of gleaming Chandler strawberries. Phillip Maust’s stand sold both brown and white eggs from Chino. Members of the Buenrostro family of Elsinore had fresh oak lettuce, dill, golden beets, savoy cabbage and Maui onions.

Upland farmers market, 9th Street between 1st and 2nd avenues, Thursdays 5 to 9 p.m., April through October.