Eat locally at one of San Francisco's incredible farmer's markets

This farmer’s market has history. It opened in 1943 during WWII as a way to sell surplus crops from neighboring counties and prevent food waste. At first, it was located at Market St & Duboce St, but transferred to its present locationin 1947. It’s been there for over 50 years, serving the peeps of SF!

This market is open on Saturdays only, so get there early if you plan to park, because the parking spots are always in high demand – and for good reason, as this is the most reasonably priced farmer’s market in SF with the most varied produce. I love the mushroom man here – I get my shitakes and my tree mushrooms here for much, much less than I would have to spend at a grocery store. They have so many different kinds of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers, that it’d hard to come here and not find exactly what you were looking for, and much more. Food is also served here (DELICIOUS TAMALES and various other sundries) so if you come before lunch, you might as well make a day of it. You won’t be disappointed.

You will find caviar here. You will find lots of chi-chi produce… like ridged gourd. This is like the Whole Foods of farmer’s markets. They will sell you Blue Bottle coffee here. And they’ll sharpen your knives. And sell you meat salted with truffle salt. There are a million and one free samples. Hit up the cheese man. Hit up that cheese man HARD because he has about 20 different varieties of herbed/fruit/sweet/stinky/aged cheeses that you can stuff in your face free of charge. Get you some kettle corn here. They have kettle corn. Does this sound too good to be true?

It is, because while all this is awesome as hell, it will cost you. First of all, this is the yuppiest place I’ve ever been. I believe in great produce. I try to eat local and organic as much as I can. I really believe in supporting local farms and businesses. On the other hand, I really hate coming here because I hate most of the people who come here. Like, creepy ladies from San Carlos who wear Burberry scarves (eww chav) when it’s 70 degrees outside. I mean, yeah, it’s good to be responsible and stuff, but don’t use eating organic foods as a way to be a smug-ass (you’re not that cool, people in your Saabs who love fine artisan cheese). They don’t even let dogs close to the stands here because apparently dogs are gross and unnatural. The second reason I hate this place is that other options exist that are just as supportive of local economies and have cheaper prices, yet people continue to go out of their way to buy stuff from the Ferry Plaza market instead of some of the smaller ones. That’s exactly the kind of behavior that led to the creation of Whole Foods in the first place, and it goes against the entire philosophy of small, independent businesses and consumer choice.

Bah. Enough of my ranting. Go to the Alemany market for a wider selection of food, cheaper prices, and less pomp and circumstance.

If I had 5 words to describe this farmer’s market, they’d be “baby stroller”, “cell phone”, and “expensive.” There are lots of people here who will bump into you while pushing around their children and talking loudly on their iPhones about pilates. They also have bands that play here… except by bands I mean old people on acoustic guitars singing folk songs that all sound the same, mixed with your occasional Bruce Springsteen cover. It caters to an older crowd – it’s Noe Valley.

I dont know what else to say. You will be able to buy twice the amount of stuff as you can at the Ferry Building but you don’t get any good views of the Bay or the Bay Bridge and you are basically stuck in the upper hells of 24th Street where there’s nothing for you to do besides eat some sort of weird Italian fusion food and drink giant coffees from Starbucks. I guess if you get bored from shopping at the farmer’s market you can go buy stationary or something at a gift shop that also sells those weird bath salts too… I mean, if that’s your thing.

This market is the one I usually go to because it’s closest to my apartment. It’s conveniently located at UN Plaza, right off the Civic Center Bart stop. The unfortunate fact of this location is that you are basically shopping for organic produce on crack row, as there are at least five junkies at any given time lurking for crack in the alleyways. But don’t be scared, because this market is only open on weekend mornings, and you’re well protected by the throngs of yuppies who come down here to get their baby arugula, pummelos, and Albanian cucumbers. This market is small but effective, and a convenient way to shop for seasonal and fresh produce when you’re in a hurry and too lazy to brave the tourists at the Ferry Plaza or figure out how to get your roommate’s friend’s grandma to drive you all the way to Alemany.

So what if it’s out in the boonies. At least the air is fresh, and you don’t have to deal with any young mothers with Botkier bags. This place is literally situated on an apartment complex and they have twelve podunk stands where they sell the basics like apples, carrots, lettuce, etc.

What makes this gem stand out is how sweetly genuine, authentic and sincere it is. The effort it makes speaks volumes for this tiny market that is sort of like The Little Engine that Could. The farms that come down here are the same as the ones that send produce to the Ferry Building, so you’ll be getting legitimate stuff. It’s tucked out of the way so in that respect it’s better than Civic Center (read: no heroine addicts begging for spare tomatillos.

The con is that it’s small and very tucked out of the way. I hope it keeps doing business though, because it’s doing a good thing…

A small farmer’s market only open on Wednesdays from 10-2.

It’s nice. It’s accessible. I don’t know what to say besides that it’s your standard farmer’s market with the plus of being opened during the week.

When I buy avocados at the farmer’s market I tend to eat them all right away in large cow-like gulps so it’s nice to have a stopping ground on hump day, before my next Saturday or Sunday morning farmer’s market jaunt, and Kaiser keeps that option available. Pop down here during your lunch break!

Thursday Thursday Thursday. I spend SO much money on Thursdays. I come down to the Crocker Galleria Farmers’ Market, conveniently located right by the Powell BART station, and I basically give myself a mental note that I need like, 2 artichokes, and I end up leaving with a bag of bokchoy, two heads of lettuce (one Romaine, one iceberg), bread (the bread man here is incredible…serious sourdough fetish on my end), mandarin oranges, blood oranges, tangerines, plums, fugi apples, heirloom tomatoes, roma tomatoes, and like a thousand bolanis. I live for bolanis. Then I go to Medicine (organic Japanese food) and I spend like a million dollars on vegetarian sushi and organic miso soup and organic Grapefruit Blue Sky soda.

I’m a glutton. I love Thursdays. Love this farmer’s market. It’s convenient, the prices aren’t too shaby, and it’s the only reason I ever come to Powell.

My wallet hates that farmer’s markets like this exist but I wouldn’t have it any other way.