Courtesy of Visit California
Juicy heirloom tomatoes and just-picked strawberries. super-sweet peaches shaped like mini UFOs, artisanal cheeses, emerald-green olive oils, local wildflower honey—California’s farmers’ markets are culinary adventures. Take advantage of the chance to see, taste and learn about the incredible variety of California’s farm-fresh produce and food products. Farmers’ markets are also a chance to hang out with the farmers who grow the produce, and get their tips on how to use these ultra-fresh foods. And these weekly, often year-round events function as local gathering places, with little ones dancing to local musicians, moms cradling babies and fresh bouquets, and chefs leading walking tours to their favorite stalls. Also be on the lookout for specialty foods and handmade crafts, which are great for gifts.
While outstanding markets pop up all over the state, here’s a handpicked selection to add to your travels.
Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market, San Francisco: Local shoppers, ferry commuters, savvy chefs and tourists flock to the lively market that pops up outside the historic Ferry Building, along the Embarcadero. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, market tents cast their shade across an extraordinary variety of fruits and vegetables as well as prepared foods—and there’s a Garden Market selling plants and flowers on Sundays too. And every day, step inside the handsome 1898 building (still a working ferry terminal) to stroll through a dazzling food hall and market, and home to The Slanted Door and other appealing eateries.
Marin Farmers’ Market, San Rafael: For a less urban setting, venture north across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin Farmers Market in San Rafael, where farmers, ranchers, cheese makers, bakers, beekeepers and shellfish harvesters from Marin and Sonoma counties present their goods next to the Marin Civic Center building, a striking pink and blue building (it looks better than it sounds) designed by master architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Markets run Thursdays and Sundays year-round. On Thursdays, join the street-fair scene of Downtown San Rafael Farmers’ Market, Thursdays April through September, with live music and pop-up food booths.
Sebastopol Farmers’ Market: Venture further north, through rolling ranchland, to this friendly market in Sonoma County. This Sunday morning year-round affair, always jazzed up with live music and plenty of prepared foods for noshing, attracts some of the best growers and food producers presenting beautiful fruits, vegetables, flowers and artisanal foods. There are fresh pies and loaves; Woodleaf Farm has peaches like you remember them; and Middleton Farm’s strawberries are so sweet, you’ll swear they were dipped first in jam.
Davis Farmers’ Market: Markets in the center of the state are about as close to the source as you can get. This is the heart of California’s rich agricultural heritage, and continues today not just with big farms, but an increasing number of boutique, family-owned and -run farms growing diverse crops in innovative, eco-conscious new ways. And farmers’ markets are a great way to sample the results.
A long-standing favorite is Davis Farmers’ Market, held Wednesday afternoons and Sunday mornings in this friendly university town. The scene gets even more festive on Wednesday evenings, mid-March through October, when Picnic in the Park unfurls, with wine- and beer-tastings, ethnic food booths, local bands, pony rides and other kids’ activities.
Sunday Market, Sacramento: The state capital has an appealing collection of farmers’ markets. Sunday morning’s Farmers Market—cleverly utilizing the cool shade provided by the freeway overpass at 8th and W streets, is filled with multicultural farmers offering familiar and unusual produce.
San Luis Obispo Farmers’ Market: Plan to visit this sunny Central Coast college town on a Thursday—stick around until evening and you’ll see why that’s the best day of the week. More than 120 farmers and food purveyors, plus artists, musicians, and singers, fill a five-block area downtown—closed to cars during the event—so you can stroll, sample, relax and take in the lively scene. Anchored by a collection of barbecue grills serving pulled pork, artichokes and everything in between, the market is a sensory treasure trove, with amazing sights, smells, sounds and of course tastes.
Santa Monica Farmers’ Market: Bright sunshine, bags of fresh produce hanging from a tanned arm, street musicians strumming and singing—Santa Monica’s outstanding farmers’ markets are like perfect pop-up festivals in the heart of the city. Each of the city’s year-round market locations has its own unique charms: there’s picnicking on the lawn at Virginia Avenue Park (Saturdays), jazz at the Main Street market in Heritage Square (Sundays), and celebrity chefs looking for fresh produce at the Downtown Santa Monica market (Wednesdays and Saturdays).
The Vegetable Shop At Chino Family Farm, Rancho Santa Fe: For a farmers’ market feel without the once-a-week schedule, this friendly destination in Rancho Santa Fe is the perfect find—it’s open every day but Monday. About a half-hour drive north of the city bustle, this is the place to discover new varieties of familiar produce, including multiple kinds of tomatoes, beans, melons, and squash, plus white corn so sweet and delicious you might just move here. Try unusual offerings—strawberry figs, salsify, Jerusalem artichokes, red carrots and candy lime mint.
Farmers’ Markets in Santa Barbara: Abundant sunshine, a moderate climate, and a healthy amount of rain make this part of the Central Coast ripe for a year-round cornucopia of fresh produce, much of it grown organically. The locavore and slow food movements are big here, and chefs source food mostly within a 100-mile radius. The area hosts farmers markets every day of the week except Mondays, and while they are all worth a visit, the signature event is that one on Tuesday afternoons, when downtown’s State Street morphs into the ultimate place to be, with food, music, and beautiful people.