The Hollywood Farmers’ Market is a place to discover new, exotic and unusual food items. Sometimes I walk through the market with child-like eyes when I see something I’ve never seen or tasted before. This week, fruits and vegetables from the desert farms demanded to be noticed.

“Dragon fruits are sweet, crunchy and full of vitamins and calcium,” said Raymond Dominguez, who operates the Pedro’s Avocado Ranch stand with his brother Richard.

Pedro’s Ranch is a certified organic farm in Fallbrook. It’s best known for the delicious variety of avocados they grow, but the desert farm also grows persimmons, pomegranates and this week’s find tropical dragon fruits.

“The flavor of the dragon fruit is a cross between a kiwi and pear,” Dominguez said.

The dragon fruit is covered with thick layers of skin that’s spiked with the most beautiful hues of pink, red and orange. Cut the fruit in half and you will discover the center that is the fruit of the cactus. This is the section you scoop out and eat. Its crunchy core is speckled with small black seeds.

I also found prickly chayote squash, another desert vegetable at  McCray’s Bird of Paradise Farm stand. Chayote squash is a mild-tasting, thick-skinned vegetable native to Mexico. It’s also rich in vitamins and low in calories because of its fiber and high water content. The farm is also known for its bouquets of Bird of Paradise flowers and the sweet rhubarb spears sold throughout the summer.

“You just peel off the thorny parts and then sauté with a little olive oil and garlic,” said Margo McCrary, who owns the Ventura County farm with husband Donald.

Chayote squash may also be added to stir-fries, casseroles or warm salads. They may be roasted, baked or simply braised with onions and butter.

There’s also another item at the market that has a prickly exterior to protect its delicious center, but it doesn’t come from the desert. Fresh-caught sea urchins may be found at Sea Fever Seafood, a seafood vendor stocked with a beautiful selection of creatures from  waters off the Santa Barbara coast.

“Santa Barbara sea urchins are the most desired ones for Japanese restaurants,” said John Wilson, the captain and owner of the seafood stand.

Japan is home to the Tsukiji Fish Market, the world’s largest fish market where fish is flown in daily from around the world. According to Wilson, most of the local uni (sea urchin in Japanese) is sold to this market where top dollar is paid for this local treasure, but Wilson always keeps a stash to sell at the Hollywood market.

Wilson will slice open the thorn covered sea urchin to reach the golden yellow center which is actually the roe (eggs) of the fish. Sea urchin has a light, sweet and somewhat briny flavor that goes will with a piece of seaweed-wrapped sushi rice, soy sauce and spicy green wasabi. In Italy, I’ve also been served homemade pasta tossed with creamy sea urchin roe, garlic and onion.

Sea Fever Seafood always has fresh salmon, black cod and red snapper that shoppers can buy whole or by the filet. This week there are also live crabs, live red and yellow rock crabs and live Santa Barbara spot prawns, another prized catch at a sushi bar.

Please feel free to share stories and recipes of the items you find interesting at the market. If you see me strolling about, please say hello.

See you next week at the market!

The Hollywood Farmers Market is located at the intersection of Ivar and Selma avenues, between Sunset and Hollywood boulevards. Rain or shine, it is open every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market is a certified open-air street market with approximately 100 farmers, 30 local artisans and 40 baked-goods and prepared-food vendors who sell their products every Sunday. It is a direct-to-consumer marketplace with all produce and products from local, California vendors and growers.

Parking: Cinerama Dome: $3 for first two hours with validation available at the information booth at Ivar and DeLongpre avenues. Metered parking: Check parking enforcement signs. Some meters free until 11 a.m. on Sundays.

Dog Sitting: Only tagged assistance dogs are allowed at the market, but this shouldn’t stop others from walking their dogs to the public event. There’s a dog sitting service provided at the corner of Ivar and Vine streets. Your prized pooch will get to socialize with other dogs while you do your shopping at the market. It charges a small fee of $5 per 20 minutes.