Autry Farmers Market | Los Angeles

A farmers' market comes to the Autry Center

You now see as many reusable totes as cowboy feed bags at the Autry Center on any given Saturday.

Nick Spano, the man behind the Yamashiro Farmers' Market, is bringing hungry shoppers to the Western history museum for this Saturday-morning event (8 a.m. to noon).

We started our recent visit with an Australian cappuccino ($3) from Longshot and a tender blueberry-and-lemon-curd hand pie ($4) from Valerie Confections. For hair-of-the-dog seekers, a sign in the Center's parking lot points toward the Autry Café's mimosa and Bloody Mary bar.

Vendors at the month-old market fill the parking lot with a vibrant selection of produce. From beets and carrots from Tutti Frutti to radishes and strawberries from Underwood Family Farms, you have your pick of colorful spring crops.

Milk Man Cheese's Chris Vamos (pictured) shares samples of California cheeses, including the nutty Central Coast Creamery's Goat Gouda ($17 per pound). Novy Ranches is on hand with Shasta Valley grass-fed beef, its weekly offerings ranging from short ribs ($9 per pound) to rib eye ($24 per pound).

The museum opens at 10 a.m., and the L.A. Zoo is close at hand. If you bring a cooler, you can see the lions, tigers and bears before heading back down the hill. 

Autry Farmers Market, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park; 323-667-2000 or theautry.org