One of my regular stops at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market is T&D Farms, a small family farm in Redlands, California. They grow without chemicals, though they are not certified organic.

You may be wondering why some farms are certified and others aren’t. The bottom line is that organic certification is very expensive, and so many small family farms whose adherence to natural and sustainable farming processes is just as rigorous (or even more so) than certified organic producers, don’t have the piece of paper. T&D Farms is one of those, along with other such outstanding farms as Coleman, Windrose and Jimenez.

T&D Farms’ year-round mainstays include garlic, onions (includes shallots and cippolini onions) and various potatoes. Enjoy some photos of their bounty from a recent Hollywood Farmers’ Market!

Shallot central, with a few garlic cloves playing tourist.

Big brown onions (above) are regulars at the T&D Farms stand, and so are red onions (below).

There are lots of potatoes, ranging from Red Rose (far right corner) to sweet potatoes (center/left) and Yukon Gold (below).

One of my particular favorites is the Asian (sometimes called Japanese) sweet potato. It’s not necessarily going to win a beauty contest, but it sure is yummy. Try roasting it, and then near the end of the process, slice it open and stuff it with a bit of feta cheese (I love the plain one that Aris Natural Foods sells at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market) and let it melt inside the potato.

As you may notice above, T&D Farms also grows squash. Want more? Look at those beautiful butternut squash below.

T&D Farms can be found at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market on Sundays (as well as at several other markets in the Los Angeles and Palm Springs areas), typically on the west side of Ivar, toward the southern end of the market. You can also find them on Instagram as td.farms. They’re a great place to get staple pantry items like onions, garlic and potatoes, so check them out!