The inside scoop on food in Los Angeles

Rainy season challenges sellers and buyers at the farmers market

January 2, 2011 | 8:00
am

Frequent heavy rains and holiday closures on weekends have made recent weeks challenging for farmers market growers and shoppers. California's dominance in fruit and vegetable production stems largely from the rarity of rain during the peak summer season for many crops, allowing them to mature and be harvested with relatively few problems from spoilage. That advantage was turned on its head recently, as crops were damaged and farmers couldn't harvest them or drive to market. David Karp shows you how to pick the best produce in this week's Market Watch report. Plus, check out his photo gallery of the farmers market's freshest produce.