Best Farmers Market in Bay Area (Fresno, Oakland: home, college, closing)

[movingfromFL2CA]

Hello,

In your opinion, which farmers market is the best in the Bay Area? I am sure it's a tough call with all of the great produce/products California offers. I am looking for a little bit of everything-especially speciality gourmet type items, natural organic soaps, great produce and handcrafted items if that is available.

TY

[bmw335xi]

There are so many great farmers' markets in the Bay Area. My favorite is the one at the Ferry Building in SF. It's more expensive than the others, but has the best location and selection (in my opinion). Berkeley also has a very nice farmers' market too.

[bigdumbgod]

Campbell Farmers' Market.

Campbell « Markets « Urban Village Farmers’ Market Association

There are a great many throughout the Bay Area, but this one is consistently the biggest and best in the South Bay, year-round. (Website has many other fine ones as well)

[daepro]

Personally I like the Grand Lake Farmers Market on Saturday morning in Oakland. Comfortably laid out, multiple producers selling their goods, full assorsement of prepared foods, entertainment stage for children and adults, crafts and a clean lawn to sit drink coffee and people watch. In my mind it does not get any better than this. By the way for twenty five bucks I get to go home with a heavy bag filled with veggies to supply us for most of the week.

[ccm123]

I enjoyed the one in Downtown Pleasanton when I lived there.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

There are so many great farmers' markets in the Bay Area. My favorite is the one at the Ferry Building in SF. It's more expensive than the others, but has the best location and selection (in my opinion). Berkeley also has a very nice farmers' market too.

That one was pretty good till the Temescal one open up. It got surpassed in my book.

Originally Posted by daepro

Personally I like the Grand Lake Farmers Market on Saturday morning in Oakland. Comfortably laid out, multiple producers selling their goods, full assorsement of prepared foods, entertainment stage for children and adults, crafts and a clean lawn to sit drink coffee and people watch. In my mind it does not get any better than this. By the way for twenty five bucks I get to go home with a heavy bag filled with veggies to supply us for most of the week.

This is my favorite as well. Huge selection of stuff. Lots of options if you want to stop for lunch too: dimsum, rotisserie chicken, waffles, thai, burmese, mediterranean, and food trucks. (And I only mentioned half of the options.)

There aren't any espresso options (bicycle coffee and the ethiopian coffee service do drip) but you can just hop over to grand or lakeshore and get coffee at Boot and Shoe or Monkey Forest Road.

This market used to be great for prepared food and average for produce, but now the prepared food and the produce is all excellent. And you can get a lot of interesting items too. Olive oil, jams, vinegars, local honey, baked goods, and all of that crafty stuff. And it isn't ridiculously expensive.

Excellent people watching at Grand Lake too. And you can always stroll over to the lake and have a picnic. And a few of the nearby bars do farmers market inspired cocktails.

Most farmers markets kind of match the feeder demographic of the area, but in general most are pretty good. Especially the weekend ones, they tend to have the best selection.

I have enjoyed the markets in Montclair, the Old Oakland/Chinatown one (lots of interesting Asian produce varieties), Palo Alto (but I find the east bay markets to be better than the South Bay and Peninsula ones), Campbell, Pleasanton, Berkeley and Ferry Building. There is quite a lot of vendor overlap as well.

[Tomlcsc]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Campbell Farmers' Market.

Campbell « Markets « Urban Village Farmers’ Market Association

There are a great many throughout the Bay Area, but this one is consistently the biggest and best in the South Bay, year-round. (Website has many other fine ones as well)

^+1 I really liked the Campbell FM when I was in the area.

Honorable mention to San Rafael FM and also the one at the Ferry Building.

[Radical347]

Agreed that the Campbell market is the best/one of the best in the South Bay. Mountain View is also good which I think it a little bigger, but the Campbell one packs a better punch.

In SF, the Ferry Plaza is a good, more upscale-style market (although near closing time you can get some good deals) but my favorite is the Alemany Market on Saturday mornings.

I am not familiar with the ones in the East Bay, although I would believe that a lot of them are really good too.

[bigdumbgod]

Honorable mentions to the Saratoga Farmers' Market
Saratoga Farmers’ Market at West Valley College « California Farmers' Markets Association

and the Vallco Farmers' Market in Cupertino
Vallco Farmers' Market - Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association

[Senno]

If y'all ever find yourself in Fresno you could do worse than Simonian Farms.

Simonian Farms, Gourmet Dried Fruit, Nuts, Raisins, and Almonds Since 1901