Two BEST Brands from La Mesa Farmers Market: Local, Sustainable, and Healthy Brands in San Diego

It's a Friday morning in sunny San Diego, the farmers market comes to life with vibrant colors, fresh produce, and the sweet aroma of locally made goods. It's a place where small business owners pour their passion and dedication into creating sustainable and healthy products for the community.

This week, as I made my way through the aisles of the La Mesa farmers market, I wanted to focus on hearing the stories of the founders behind some better-for-you brands.

Juice Jerky

The first brand that caught my attention was Juice Jerky, a unique take on traditional jerky by using various fruits, turning it into "fruit leather." They are a vegan, gluten free, fat free and zero added sugar product that maintains the majority of the nutrients from the fruits. The founder of the brand, Michael Jackel was thrilled to give several samples of each flavor, my favorite being the Mango Pineapple flavor.

You can feel the passion that goes into making this in the way Michael proudly shares his story and product, as he is not only an entrepreneur, but a father, I felt inspired by his drive to create an amazing product.

Find them at: Windmill farms, Valley Farm Market Spring Valley, Carnival Supermarket, Jensen's Food, and more

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Sky's The Limit Foods

I frequently wander through the farmers market without a specific purpose, attempting to bypass samples from stands where I don't plan to buy anything, primarily due to the guilt I feel after tasting a product and then leaving.

Nonetheless, I couldn't resist when a man extended his arm as far as possible, offering a piece of lettuce with a massive dollop of thick hummus-like sauce. I had no plans to buy or need any hummus, but after trying that lettuce from the friendly man, there was no chance I was leaving without it.

It is a plant based dip, made mostly of cashews, with no seed oils. I use it as a hummus to eat with veggies, and even mix it with olive oil and lemon to create my own dressing. This is now a staple in my grocery list.

Find them at: Valley Farms Market, Carlsbad Ranch Market, Fox Point Farms, Just Peachy, Health Creations Cafe, Windmill Farms, Little Italy Market, and more

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