In San Luis Obispo County, most of the food you eat was produced locally. So it is incredibly fresh. And many local farmers are glad to have you visit their farms.
SLO County offers the freshest of everything from A – Z.
Just SOME of the “Bounty of the County”: Apples. Apricots. Beef. Figs. Fish. Lavender. Lemons. Melons. Onions. Oranges. Oriental vegetables. Pears. Peppers. Persimmons. Plums. Pumpkins. Raspberries. Strawberries. Sweet Corn. Tomatoes – including many heirloom varieties. Watermelons. Zinfandel Grapes.
All of these are readily available – in season – at the Farmers Markets held every day in SLO County. There are also two Associations that manage most of the Farmers Markets in SLO County: North County and South County
Of course, this doesn’t include such things as alpaca farms, horse farms, and more.
There are many annual festivals celebrating local produce.
- March
- Orchid Show & Sale – early March – Arroyo Grande
- April
- Central Coast Greenhouse Growers Association Tour – early April – Nipomo
- May
- Strawberry Festival – Sat & Sunday of Memorial Day weekend – Arroyo Grande
- Gathering of Gardeners – Early May – Cambria
- July
- Lavender Festival – Mid Month – Atascadero
- July/ August
- Mid-State Fair – Paso Robles
- August
- Olive Festival – Mid August – Paso Robles
- Basil Festival – Mid August – Paso Robles
- September
- Old-Fashioned Threshing Bee – Labor Day Weekend – Templeton
- Valley Harvest Festival – Late September – Arroyo Grande
Of course, the above festivals exclude the many wine festivals held in SLO County.
For more information go to the Ag Adventures of the Central Coast, SLO Farm Bureau, and Central Coast Grown.
