Early Birds Get the Berries in Santa Monica

Serious shoppers arrive before the opening horn every Wednesday at the Santa Monica Farmers Market to begin their campaigns. There’s so much good stuff these days, and the best goes fast.

The fabulously soft and flavorful boysenberries and super-sweet Youngberries grown by Robert Poole of Redlands are among the prime early attractions. Though he toiled a whole day in 92-degree heat to pick 14 flats, he was cleaned out in a little more than an hour by chefs scouring last week’s market.

Kim Boyce, pastry chef of Campanile, said she’d make sherbet of her boysenberries, and compote to go with creme fraiche semifreddo; Sherry Yard of Spago thought she’d make her Youngberries into a jam to fill a lemon crepe. The berries will be around for a few more weeks.

Richard Sager of Arroyo Grande has nice, sweet snow peas, blueberries and a few boxes of delicate “white mulberries,” actually black in color, and much milder than the intense Persian mulberries, which come in July and August. His white mulberry crop may be finished this week, but Fairview Gardens should start selling its harvest at today’s market. Fairview also has slender, pricey haricots verts.

Some of the season’s first heirloom tomatoes made their debut. Tutti-Frutti Organic Farm of Lompoc has German Striped, Tangerine and Cherokee tomatoes, while James Birch of Three Rivers is offering tasty little Sungold cherry tomatoes, along with dazzling Goldbar zucchini.

The Anjin II fish stand, much beloved by regulars, has been bringing in superbly fresh sand dabs, local silver salmon and giant live prawns. David West, who gets his wild mushrooms from foragers in Northern California (“They’re as secretive as drug dealers,” he says, should continue to have splendid morels and porcini for a few more weeks.

Some of the market’s many cherry vendors are winding down, but the Bozzini stand still has ample supplies of dark, firm Bings from Stockton. Scott Family Farm has large, luscious Helena apricots, one of the better varieties, at the moment, from the San Joaquin Valley.

The real treasure this morning, however--early shoppers, take note--will be at the Honey Crisp stand, where Reedley farmer Art Lange’s son, Kurt, should have the first picking of Snow Queen white nectarines, an old-fashioned variety with dense texture, ideal sugar-acid balance and complex, lingering flavor.

Look for them also at the Encino, Malibu and Beverly Hills markets on Sunday.

Santa Monica farmers market, Arizona Avenue and 2nd Street, Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.