10 Top Farmers Markets

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.

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. 

The state capital has an appealing collection of farmers’ markets. Sunday morning’s Farmers Market—cleverly utilizing the cool shade provided by a freeway overpass, is filled with multicultural farmers offering familiar and unusual produce. Think of it as an international taste experience, with fresh lemongrass at Thao Fresh Produce, as well as plenty of fat tomatoes and juicy berries, and takeaway foods like fresh potpies and golden waffles.

Where homegrown fresh finds and unique flavours draw locals and Santa Monica chefs alike

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).

Insider’s tip: Wednesday Farmers’ Markets are when many Santa Monica chefs do their produce shopping for the week (after they finish surfing that morning). Coast, Fig, LAGO, and Ocean & Vine, and other fine restaurants typically craft their menus on Wednesdays and Saturdays around what they pick up fresh that day at the market.

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. White-jacketed chefs snap up thick bunches of fresh herbs to use that night on just-caught local sea bass or black cod. Kids say “thank you” to farmers offering samples of juicy peaches, and guitar-strumming folk singers gather clusters of listeners. Really—does it get any more “California” than this?

Can’t make it on Tuesday? Try La Cumbre Plaza (Wednesdays), Carpinteria (Thursdays), Montecito (Fridays), Downtown (Saturdays), and Camino Real Marketplace (Sundays). Consider this your chance to try something new like funky looking cherimoya, nicknamed “custard apple” for its creamy white inner fruit. From avocados and eggplants to figs and fennel, melons and squashes, pears and persimmons, the food—and the people—make for an unforgettable day.