Produce of Intrigue in Santa Monica

On any Wednesday, whatever the season, the Santa Monica farmers market offers a cornucopia of intriguing, high-quality produce.

Sometimes the familiar masquerades as the unusual: Last week, virtually every customer at Phil McGrath’s stand stopped at a crate of oblong pale green pods and asked, “What’s that?� They were fresh garbanzo beans, or chickpeas--a chore to shell, but a delight when eaten raw. He also sold Marchette hot peppers, which resembled spicy red pepperoncini, and ghostly Illumina white pumpkins, with orange flesh on the inside, for cooking or carving.

The king of the exotic, Bill Coleman of Carpenteria, had Oaxacan red beans with edible pods; smooth, custardy Bays cherimoyas (pollinated not by hand, as are almost all California cherimoyas, but by a variety of insect that Coleman wished to keep secret); kei “apples,� which look like little yellow plums and have an intense sweet-tart flavor; and Frederick passion fruit (larger and tastier than commercial ones). Jerry Rutiz of Arroyo Grande had large, fragrant bulbs of fennel and fresh savory, which he suggested could be cooked with items such as green beans and ground beef or dried and used in a spice mix resembling the Middle Eastern za’atar . Carl Fetzner of Perris sold mustard greens, turnips and their greens, Jewel yams and satsuma imo , Japanese sweet potatoes.

Mike Cirone, who grows in See Canyon, near San Luis Obispo, had a superb display of apples, including crisp, mild White Winter Pearmain, Red York, Newtown Pippin (one of the best two or three American apples but hard to find in Southern California) and Pink Lady (much better than commercial specimens). He also had giantPortugal quinces, considered the finest variety.

Rusty Hall of Paso Robles sold dry-farmed Nonpareil almonds, with a more concentrated flavor than conventional irrigated almonds, along with his own almond brittle. Irene Burkart of Dinuba sold her first picking of organic Giant Fuyu persimmons.

Malibu is far too chilly and cloudy to suit figs, but the Vital Zuman farm (as the Cunningham family’s ranch is now named) made a good show with reasonably sweet organic Brown Turkey and Red Mission figs, along with a selection of fine jams made by Alice Cunningham. The market’s only vendor who actually grows in Santa Monica, Nazaria Tolentino, had lemon yellow guavas with white flesh, along with a delightful smile that seemed to make the fruit taste sweeter.

*

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