Getting the most out of farmers markets

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In Thursday’s Food section, everything you ever wanted to know about farmers markets, including:

-- Farmers market expert David Karp shows you how to shop our abundant markets and find the very best: ‘Anyone who wants the real deal -- high-quality produce from genuine farmers -- needs to carefully choose markets and vendors.’

-- Times Food Editor and California Cook columnist Russ Parsons on what’s next: ‘The farmers market revolution may have been born in farmers markets, but if it is to continue, there will have to be other paths as well. Farmers markets as we know them now will always exist, at least I hope they will. But if we are going to continue to improve the opportunities for small farmers, and if we want to continue to improve shoppers’ access to great produce, we also need to look at alternatives, at other ways of achieving the same goals.’

-- Meet Sotera Jaime. The co-owner of Jaime Farms is up before dawn to help out at one of the farms’ 20 or so farmers market stands. But she still finds time each day to make a hearty hot lunch for family, friends and employees. And we’ve got two of her recipes: Stuffed summer squash and puerco con chile negro (pork with dried pasilla chile sauce)

PLUS, our interactive map of Southern California farmers markets (let us know if we need to add your favorite farmers market) and a seasonal cooking guide: How to choose the season’s freshest produce, and what to do with it once you get it back home.

-- Rene Lynch