I've said it before and I'll say it again: One of the best ways to get to know a community when you're traveling is to visit its farmers market. That's especially true on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, where the KCC (Kapi'olani Community College) Farmers Market is the place to be on a Saturday morning (left) -- both for locals and for visitors staying in Waikiki (a 10-15 minute drive away). Offering local produce, flowers (including gorgeous orchids and hibiscus), honey, fish and prepared foods (including some from KCC's Culinary Arts Program), the KCC Farmers Market is one of five markets run on Oahu by the Hawaii Farm Bureau, which prepares a tip sheet each week to help navigate the more than 60 farm stands at the Saturday morning market. Staying in a hotel limits the buying possibilities -- for instance, based on our visit a few weeks ago, there were many gorgeous flowers being taken home by locals and the most popular stand was Big Island Abalone. But even for visitors, there are a lot of great options.

There are three coffee stands: Koko Crater Coffee Roasters, which has the premium spot right near the entrance, for those that are in major need of a caffeine fix (like we were), Keopu Coffee and Aikane Coffee. Other favorites included two local honey stands: Rhea's Hawaiian Honey (which offers samples and where we bought some amazing macadamia nut and organic cinnamon honey) and All Hawaiian Honey Coop (which has the best t-shirts and from whom we bought the Christmasberry Honey). We also loved the green juice from Otsuji Farms, made with kale, greens, beets, fresh pineapple, lemon juice and apple juice; the fresh island ginger drinks from PacifiKool; and the fresh roasted corn by Na 'Ono at the Kahuku Farms stand. Again, with 60-some stands, this is a major farmers market and not only a wonderful overview of the abundance of Hawaii's local offerings but a great way to spend a Saturday morning. Another plus is it's located right across from the entrance to Diamond Head State Park, for those who feel fueled up enough after the farmers market to make the trek up to the top of Diamond Head and take in the beautiful views (above).

You've gotta love a place that's not only named after an herb (Tiato is a Vietnamese herb in the mint family) but surrounded by a garden filled with herbs and citrus used in its dishes. You've also gotta love a place that comes from a family known for a revered garlic noodle recipe that's revealed only to family members (and made famous at the Crustacean restaurants in San Francisco and Beverly Hills). But you've REALLY gotta love a place that manages to take a vegetable that's fun to grow but not to eat (I'm talking about you, Brussels sprouts) and turns it into a wonderful chopped salad-type side dish by roasting it and adding roasted kale, dates, almonds and garlic in a lime wasabi sauce. I'm going to work on getting the recipe to share here for those growing kale and Brussels sprouts but in the meantime I am happy to introduce you to the House of An's Tiato Kitchen Bar Garden in Santa Monica, which offers breakfast and lunch in both a sit-down cafe and a grab-and-go market.

And, for those who want help with part or all of their Thanksgiving dinner (and want it to be fresh, healthy and organic), An Catering is offering a Thanksgiving dinner (pictured above) available to go from both Tiato and AnQi, their bistro in Costa Mesa and available for pick up the day of or day before Thanksgiving. The menu includes organic, free-range turkey that's been brined in citrus and herbs for 48 hours, a choice of stuffing (turkey-apple sausage and leak; mama's sticky rice with Shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage and chestnuts; and a gluten-free version with caramelized onions and herbs), and a long list of side dishes that include cranberry-orange chutney; haricot vert with water chestnuts and ginger in a butter sauce; smashed yams with rosemary garlic; and, yes, "An's famous" garlic noodles. For more information or to order, visit Tiato Thanksgiving.