With its array of interesting produce and local vendors, the Golden Eagle Farm Night Market has another unique feature that keeps buyers coming back — a mission to benefit the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians.
A new venture for the Ramona farm enterprise, the night market is held from 4 to 8 p.m. every first and third Wednesday through October at the site of the former thoroughbred ranch.
Income from the market and other ventures will be used to make improvements on the reservation, help the Mesa Grande tribe become economically self-sufficient and revitalize their way of life, Golden Eagle Farm officials said.
On the market’s third event in early July, a slow but steady stream of shoppers walked among the vendors booths.
Friends Brooke Erinoft and Christina Serrentino, along with Serrentino’s Chihuahua, Pepe, came from Borrego Springs looking for fresh produce.
“It’s worth coming up here,” said Serrentino. “We’re supporting the local community and we’re getting such good quality produce and meat.”
The two showed off their haul — jalapeño peppers, banana peppers, radishes, cucumbers, a cookie, eggs and mint tea.
“It’s nice to see all the different vendors,” Erinoft said. “The farmers market in Borrego doesn’t have quite as much variety.”
The women said being able to shop in the evening, when it was cooler, was another reason they felt the trip was worth taking.
Andrew and Rita Crain, owners of Ramona Valley Olive Oil, stopped by the market to deliver some of their olive oil for sale in the farm stand.
“It’s a wonderful place to be,” Rita Crain said.
The couple recently entered their olive oils into competition for the first time, she said.
At the California State Fair, their Spanish extra virgin olive oil, Calderon, won Gold and Best in Class for monovarietal Manzanillo and their garlic Agrumato oil, which uses heirloom garlic co-milled with their Spanish olives, won Silver.
At the international New York International Olive Oil Competition, the Calderon again won gold, Crain said.
Throughout the evening, Katie Ostrander, manager of Golden Eagle Farm, kept busy checking in with the vendors and buyers.
She said word of word of mouth about the quality of the products grown by locals is one reason the night market has been so successful.
“It’s just amazing to watch this grow,” Ostrander said. “We had four vendors at the first night market, and 15 at the third.
“We’ve tapped into the need for farmers markets from Ramona, Santa Ysabel and Julian, and the vendors keep calling us,” she said.
The only requirements to be in the market are to be a farmer from San Diego county and to show up, she said.
Any food truck is allowed, although to keep it profitable, only one of each type of food is allowed.
Fry bread is a specialty offered on site, in an area with plenty of tables and a mountain backdrop. A number of families took advantage of the spot to gather up their kids for cool drinks and treats.
In between customers, the vendors networked with each other, exchanging everything from plants to harvesting tips.
Chris and Erin Moody, owners of Rogue Farm in Ramona, discussed growing fruit trees with Kayla and Kierra Colbert, owners of Fruitful Organics in Ramona.
“We just started selling our produce to the public this year,” Erin Moody said. “We have a lot of friends that are vendors at this market, and they all gave us the nudge to get going.”
“It’s a lovely market and area of the country, and there’s not much fresh food,” she said. “To get people more excited about their food and what’s out there, we’re growing not just the standard varieties of vegetables, but a couple of options of each.”
Some of their choices include onions, green beans and kale, in heirloom and different colors.
Linda Garinger and her husband Frank Lewis had a pretty big reason for starting their microgreens business, Purely Harvest.
“It started after I had a kidney transplant,” Garinger said at their booth at the night market. “I started growing my own wheatgrass when I was having chemo treatments.”
The Ramona couple, who grow sunflower, radish, arugula, broccoli and kale, said the tiny plants can be used for smoothies, added to eggs, salads, sandwiches, or sprinkled on top of soups.
The microgreens — young seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs — are sold in 2-oz. plastic clamshells, which Garinger said she always overstuffs.
The pair have been pleased with the turnout for the night markets.
“It’s helping out the reservation,” Garinger said. “And we’ve had buyers from Julian, Borrego Springs, Lakeside and El Cajon.”
For buyers looking for meatier options, poultry products were available from Valore Brand Ranch.
Shelby Williams, who has been offering pasture-raised, non-GMO chicken for the past four years, said the night market suits her business.
“I personally feel this market is more based toward the mindset of farmers and growers, and focused on the way we cultivate our products,” she said.
“Genetic and health aspects of the animals are important to me,” she said. “I appreciate being able to utilize animals for what they were bred for.”
The birds — either Cornish cross or Bresse — are finished with organic corn for a buttery flavor and air chilled for a better texture, she said. Buyers can purchase individual parts, such as wings or drumsticks, or the whole bird.
Cahuilla Mountain Ranch, located on the Cahuilla Indian Reservation in Anza, was also on hand, offering 100 percent grass-fed beef.
Although the main attraction of the market is the produce vendors, Native American craft vendors were on hand.
Lelanie Thompson of Barona has been operating her booth, Feather Bear Sky, at the racetrack location since June.
“I’ve been selling over 30 years,” she said, noting some of her popular items include tote bags, fabric baskets and home decor — all of which are homemade.
She runs Shop Around the Corner in Barona, but has no complaints about the drive to Golden Eagle.
“I like the location, and it’s a new area for me,” she said. “And I love the fact that the market is growing and supporting locals and the Native American culture.”
In a neighboring booth, Keely Linton-Gallardo, president of the Mesa Grande Business Development Corp., fielded questions about the organization’s mission, as well as inquiries about the produce being sold.
“In addition to building up the farming business here, we’re also tasked with developing other business ventures,” she said.
Golden Eagle Gardens, a 5-acre garden where vegetables, fruits, herbs and native plants are grown; the farm stand and vacation rentals are already in place.
With the recent acquisition of their organic certification — the plants are grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides – Linton-Gallardo said they would also like to host farm to table events.
“We also want to be a culture center and hold classes, ranging from growing produce to the use of native ethnobotanicals,” Linton-Gallardo said.
Other plans include building an event space that could host weddings, retreats and other events to bring the community together, she said.
Golden Eagle Farm is at 27236 Highway 78, Ramona, or call 619-455-1123. The farm stand is open Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. For information, visit: www.goldeneaglegardens.com.
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