10 Top Farmers Markets

For a less urban setting, venture north across the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County, where the Agricultural Institute of Marin, an organization dedicated to educating the public about the benefits of locally grown food, sponsors a number of markets across the county. One of the largest, the Marin Farmers Market, is held in San Rafael next to the Marin Civic Center, a striking pink and blue building (it looks better than it sounds) designed by master architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Farmers, ranchers, cheese makers, bakers, beekeepers, shellfish harvesters, crafters, and other various purveyors from Marin and Sonoma counties show up every Thursday and Sunday to present their goods to the hungry public. As a mid-week produce shopping destination, the Thursday market is known as the local chefs’ market, the source of many of the ingredients served up at the Bay Area’s top restaurants. About 100 vendors set up shop for the afternoon, while the larger Sunday market features about double that.

Three miles down Highway 101, there’s another Thursday event that shouldn’t be missed: Downtown San Rafael Farmers Market. From April through September, this evening event, open from 6–9 p.m., buzzes with street-scene entertainment and attractions such as live music and pop-up food booths that give it the feel of a festival as much as a farmers market. 

Less than five miles away, in the town of Fairfax, the Fairfax Community Farmers Market takes place on Wednesdays from 4–8 p.m. in Bolinas Park. Produce, wine and beer, food trucks with plenty of vegetarian options, live music, and lots of green grass perfect for spreading out a picnic (or nap) blanket, all amidst a stand of towering redwoods. This is a particularly enjoyable market if you have kids in tow.

Can’t make it to any of those? Other Marin farmers markets include the Sausalito Area Farmers Markets and the Corte Madera Farmers Market.

Insider tips: Parking is plentiful at the Marin Civic Center market. The site of the Downtown San Rafael Farmers Market has a helpful map of parking lots in the vicinity. In Fairfax, there’s ample street parking within a few blocks of Bolinas Park.

Farmers markets in the center of California are about as close to the source as you can get. A long-standing favorite of the Central Valley, the Davis Farmers Market is held on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings in the friendly university town which, appropriately enough, is home to a campus originally founded as a center for agricultural studies. The fertile land of Yolo County that surrounds Davis has long been a leading producer of grapes, rice, and alfalfa, and produces 90% of the country’s canned and processed tomatoes.  

It seems like everyone in Davis pedals their bikes to be part of this lively community event in leafy Central Park. The scene gets even more festive on Wednesday evenings, mid-March through October, when Picnic in the Park unfurls, with wine- and beer-tastings, booths serving up cuisines from around the world, local bands, pony rides, and other kids’ activities. Check the calendar for full listings.

On every Saturday in December, the market is the perfect place to make short work of your gift-giving list thanks to the local artists and artisans that turn the C Street sidewalk into Crafters’ Lane. Browse all the handiwork while holiday music plays, or save time by purchasing one of the themed gift baskets (for chefs, relaxation-seekers, chocolate lovers, breakfast lovers and more).

A popular offshoot of the Davis Farmers Market, the Sutter Davis Hospital Farmers Market, brings many of the same fresh offerings to the hospital’s main entrance at 2000 Sutter Place in West Davis.

Insider tips: The Farmers Markets’ hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, and from mid-March through October, 4:30 p.m. to sunset. Visit the Market Shed for access to an ATM, as well as Davis Farmers Market swag like mugs, hats, and tote bags.

Plan a visit to San Luis Obispo that includes a Thursday evening and you’ll see why what the local college students call “baby Friday” is the best day of the week. It’s when the Downtown SLO Farmers Market is held, and more than 120 farmers and food purveyors, plus artists, musicians, and singers, fill a five-block area downtown. The main artery of the goings-on—Higuera Street—is closed to cars during the event, so you can stroll, sample, relax, and take in the lively scene in this sunny Central Coast town known as “SLO.”

The fresh produce on offer here—berries of all kinds, peaches, greens, avocados, and other California staples—is clustered on the north end of the walk. The prepared food stalls, which sell everything from barbeque to Thai to Mexican, make up the rest of the event, and easily outnumber the produce sellers.

Probably the most celebrated culinary draw are treats of the charred variety: The event is anchored by a collection of massive circular barbecue setups, and the aroma of sizzling pork shoulder, ribs, chicken, lamb, and tri-tip—as well as batches of artichokes and corn on the cob—will wake up any carnivore’s appetite. A number of local restaurants such as Thai Palace, Mo’s Smokehouse, and Novo have tents up as well, selling their specialties.

Live music adds to the festive atmosphere; the event has long been a place where you can see local acoustic and electric bands as well as lone buskers perform for shoppers as they stroll along. For kids, there’s a Bouncy Castle, face-painting, and activity areas. Overall, the downtown SLO Farmers Market is a sensory treasure trove, with amazing sights, smells, sounds, and of course tastes.

For other local markets, including ones located in Morro Bay and Arroyo Grande, check the website of the San Luis Obispo County Farmers Market Association.

Insider tips: If traveling by car, try to come as early as possible, as parking is tight and arriving later can result in far-flung parking spots (the market’s site has a useful parking map and a parking app for Downtown SLO). You can also park a distance away and then catch a trolley to the market.

For a farmers market feel without the once-a-week schedule, The Vegetable Shop at Chino Family Farm in San Diego County’s Rancho Santa Fe, is the perfect find—it’s open every day but Monday. About a half-hour drive north of downtown San Diego, this is the place to discover new varieties of familiar produce, like their French strawberries, or 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, watermelon radishes, and candy lime mint. Keep your eyes peeled too; the shop became a favorite haunt of leading chefs such as Trey Foshee of La Jolla’s George’s California Modern after first being championed by Alice Waters, considered the leading force behind California’s focus on fresh, seasonal, local ingredients.

Opened on a 45-acre plot of land by Junzo and Hatsuyo Chino at the close of World War II, for more than seven decades The Vegetable Shop has sold only produce grown by the family, on the family farm, and they do not ship. So sought after are their offerings that restaurants sometimes specify on their menu when ingredients come from Chino Farms. What makes their fruits and vegetables so oversized, so flavorful, so unblemished? Reasons most cited by longtime customers (the Chinos aren’t big talkers) include respect for tradition, a deep dedication to the land, and passionate commitment to quality food. Now into its second generation of management, the family continues to follow the same path with the same acreage, with no plans to change anything.

If you’re looking to fill out a day after a morning visit to the Chino Farm, consider such nearby destinations as Encinitas, Swami’s Beach or another nearby beach, or Torrey Pines State Natural Preserve. For a splurge, book a stay and a treatment at The Spa at The Inn.

Useful info: The Vegetable Shop at Chino Farm is open 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays. It’s best to come earlier than later in the day as many items sell out.

Outside Toby's Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station, it's all about homemade jam, local gossip, and live music every Saturday from June to October. The low-key, all-organic Point Reyes Farmers Market is smaller than many, but it's a prime example of how quality trumps quantity. Browse the booths featuring local oysters, grass-fed meats, artisan cheeses, home-grown sheep’s wool, olive oil, farm-fresh eggs, and picked-at-dawn vegetables.

After you’ve checked out all the offerings in the main space, look for a simple white banner in the back that says “GBD,” which stands for Golden, Brown, Delicious—three words that perfectly describe the incredible grilled cheese sandwiches made by Osteria Stellina. The secret recipe? Wood-fired Brickmaiden bread dipped in Straus Creamery butter and oozing Cowgirl Creamery cheese. Settle down on a hay bale and enjoy—this snack is perfect for fueling up before a hike in nearby Point Reyes National Seashore. But if you’re more into noshing than hiking, stroll downtown’s three or so blocks and you’ll find more culinary gold, like the crazy-good scones and muffins at Bovine Bakery and champagne-style honey mead at Heidrun Meadery.

Before you head to the market, be sure to check their calendar of events to see what will be going on. They host musicians playing everything from bluegrass to Brazilian jazz to Middle Eastern music weekly, and also welcome chefs and, in collaboration with Point Reyes Books, cookbook authors to take part in the Chef’s Booth series, where they can talk about their latest releases and lead a cooking demonstration with products featured at the market. (Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and French Laundry fame was an early participant.) Have kids? They’ll have a blast at the KidsZone, where there are crafts, a mini farm stand, and a play kitchen. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 

If you’d like to have a knowledgeable guide unlock the secrets of Point Reyes’ foodie nirvana, ride along with the agricultural and culinary experts at West Marin Food & Farm Tours. Four- to five-hour tours offer insight into family farming and artisan food production and give you a backstage pass to see how cheese is made, oysters are farmed, and grass-fed animals are raised. Pick your flavor—the company offers an Oyster Lover’s Tour, Cheese Lover’s Tour, or the all-encompassing Flavors of West Marin Tour.