The Produce Project Pop Up - L.A.

The 10-hour-long caffeine queue that is Handsome Coffee Roasters ends at 5 p.m. on Wednesday nights.

But as the water pressure drops in the La Marzocco Linea and the burrs of the grinder go silent, Handsome's door stays open. Inside, the laptops, books and coffee cups have made way for boxes of orange-hued tomatoes, purple-splotched eggplants and baskets of herbs.

The switch from Aida Batlle coffee to fresh cranberry beans means The Produce Project has arrived, a pop-up farm stand that takes over the Arts District coffee shop every Wednesday evening.

Run by Shaheda Sadhal and Sarah Delevan, The Produce Project is more than simply a resale point for Santa Monica Farmers' Market vegetables. The pair spent half a year visiting all of the farms they're now working with, including such favorites as Windrose, The Garden Of... and Rutiz Family Farms. The pair envision the Project developing into a brick-and-mortar operation in the future.

But in the near term, the pop-up has plenty to offer. Last week, we stocked up on Murray Family Farms Concord grapes, orange-yolked eggs from Lily's Eggs ($5 a dozen), and Persian cucumbers from Rutiz Family Farms.

And if you get there early enough, you can score some coffee, too.    

Want to try The Produce Project's groceries? Follow us on Twitter at @TastingTableLA for a chance to win a basket of vegetables.

The Produce Project, 582 Mateo St., Downtown; theproduceproject.com