Shopping Locally: The USC Farmers Market

by Lanie Brice ‘24

One of my favorite parts of living in California is the ready access to incredibly fresh fruits and vegetables. One of the easiest ways to access them is by shopping at farmers markets. LA has an incredible number sprinkled all around the city (my favorite is in Brentwood), but if you don’t have a car, don’t worry! USC brings the farmers market right to McCarthy Quad most Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m throughout the fall and spring semesters. While it’s smaller than many of the other LA markets, you can’t beat the convenience whether you’re coming to campus for classes or living in the dorms. Shopping at the farmers market means you’re getting the freshest produce possible, supporting local farms and businesses, and getting your food more sustainably since it doesn’t have to travel long distances to reach you. 

Here are a few of my favorite stops that I visit on a weekly basis to give you some inspiration for your next grocery trip.

The USC Farmers Market also offers a number of booths from area restaurants, jewelry makers, and a USC Health tent to get your flu shot if you need more reasons to stop by McCarthy Quad on Wednesdays. 

JM Produce and Bonanza Farms

These are the two vendors I see most often offering produce at the USC farmer’s market, but you can’t go wrong with any of the stands. I’ve picked up my regular fill of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries from both stands. They both offer baskets of berries for $5 each or the better deal if you like berries as much as I do of 3 baskets for $12. Though it’s pricey, these berries are much higher quality than what you’ll grab from Trader Joe’s, and I often see people all around campus enjoying berries straight from the basket every Wednesday. From JM Produce, I also get vegetables like broccoli for anywhere from $3-5 that’s incredibly fresh. Vegetables offer some of the best deals. I got a giant head of cauliflower for $4 once, which was much more affordable than the grocery store. There’s always a bounty of different vegetables to inspire dinner ideas at this stand. At Bonanza Farms, I occasionally treat myself to farm fresh eggs that come in a delightful array of colors from conventional white and brown to blue, though they are pricey at $8 a dozen. 

Out of Thin Air Bread

I can’t recommend their Country Sourdough enough. While I haven’t ventured into any of their other breads, given how fantastic their most basic loaf is, I can imagine they’re also delicious. Every time I pick up a loaf, I’m blown away by just how tender, soft, and flavorful the bread is. Each loaf is around $10, but they are pretty huge. Since I can never make it through a whole one by myself before it goes stale or molds, I cut it into slices and freeze it after a few days. The bread comes out of the freezer just as good as it went in which means that a single loaf can last me weeks. Their sourdough is truly otherworldly, so it does sell out quickly. If there’s a certain flavor you want, make sure to get there early. If you’re more flexible, sometimes they offer 2 for 1 deals later in the day.

Boule De Pain 

If you’re looking to treat yourself to a quick pick-me-up, look no further than Boule De Pain. They have every delicious pastry treat you could imagine from fruit-based pastries to cinnamon rolls to coffee cakes to croissants. I ended up getting a treat here for the first time when I forgot my lunch at home, and the pain au chocolat was so delicious that I decided to make that mistake more often. It cost $5 for a single pastry, but they are good sized and incredibly fresh. They do seem to sell out of some of the most popular pastries early, so make sure to go closer to 11 a.m. if you have something specific in mind. 

Le Parisien

The line-up at the USC Farmers Market is constantly changing. I spotted Le Parisien tucked away with the other bread stands for the first time two weeks ago and was utterly delighted since I’d been craving a proper French cheese sandwich. This stand offers tons of traditional French pastries and desserts, soups, and a couple sandwiches. While they didn’t have only a cheese sandwich, they did have a ham and cheese for $12 that I altered myself later. The incredibly fresh baguette paired with Swiss cheese and delicious butter made for the perfect lunch out on the lawn. This reminded me that there’s constantly new things to discover at the USC Farmers Market.

If you already enjoy heading to the USC Farmers Market each week, seek out the farmers market in your hometown or city. Supporting nearby farms and shopping locally is important for communities and the environment, and it’s always fun to see what’s grown near where you live.

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