April 2011 — In her article on road trips, Liz Hamill includes this dining suggestion: “Stop at farm stands and farmers markets to pick up local, seasonal fresh produce.”

We are fortunate in California to have such a wide variety of farms and farmers markets. If you take a trip from the San Mateo County Coastside to San Diego during the summer months, here are some places you might explore for seasonal produce.

Beginning your trip on a Friday, you could make a stop in Monterey between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Monterey Farmers Market. It features Bar-D Ranch’s strawberries, greens and other vegetables. You’ll also find Dave’s Gourmet Albacore booth. Try some smoked fish and crab cakes. Garden Variety Cheese has several varieties of raw sheep cheeses that sound wonderful. You’ll also find baked goods including pizza, quiches and fruit pies at Sweet Elena’s Bakery and Café booth.

Further south you’ll find a farmers market on Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Paso Robles City Park at 11th and Spring Streets. The San Luis Obispo County markets have daily events in multiple locations.

Continuing along the coast, you will find eight weekly markets in the Santa Barbara area. The SantaBarbara beach is one of my favorite beaches for a picnic so my choice would be to visit the downtown Santa Barbara Farmers Market at Santa Barbara and Cota Streets on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. Beylik Family Farms sells hydroponically grown tomatoes and other vegetables. If you are looking for olive oil for dipping, check out the Olive Hill Farm booth. Olive Hill also has a tasting room in Los Olivos — near Santa Ynez, which is in a beautiful valley. Los Olivos, Santa Ynez and Solvang are in the heart of the Santa Barbara wine country and visiting them would make another great day trip.

Solvang Village Farmers Market is not far from Santa Ynez and is open every Wednesday from 2:30-6 p.m. in downtown Solvang at Copenhagen Drive and First Street. Solvang is a shopper’s paradise with boutiques, art galleries and wine tasting rooms. If there are children in your party, you may want to check out Hans Christian Andersen Park for your picnic.

Had your fill of produce? Visit the Newport Beach Farmers Market at Lido Marina Village, where you’ll find some interesting food vendors. Baba Foods has authentic Mediterranean dips and sauces, such as baba ghanouj and tzatziki, as well as a tabouli salad. Picnics Deli from Costa Mesa has a wonderful-sounding cheese stand, and you may want to finish off your sampling with a treat from Lucci’s Gelato and Italian Ice. The gelato is dairy-free.

La Jolla Open Aire Market is the largest and most diverse I came across in my armchair trip along thecoast. This market has over 20 food vendors — from Egyptian Delights and Flavors of East Africa to Italianissimo Inc. and the Turkish Grill — so you’re sure to find something of interest for everyone in your party. In addition to many farm vendors, the market features more than 30 artisans with French linens, artwork, handcrafted jewelry, hats, clothing and so much more.

Bon voyage!