I was so thrilled to see the Union Square Market as I was walking over for the Subway from whre I was on Friday. Got me some fresh pork cuttlets, organic baby bok choy, fresh ****ake mushrooms, and some grass for the cats, which they totally ignored.

It made for one hell of a lunch on Saturday. I never thought they would be there this time of year, and indeed the food pickings are way slimmer then in the summer, but still very good. Tons of flowers too, mostly spring bulbs.

We hit the Greenwich Connecticut one most every Saturday, and I'll be a regular at the Union Suare now until that opens.

Redlands, California
 

Farmers Market on Thursday night, begins at 6:00 pm, State Street. Small town atmosphere.

oops, forgot to mention (and nobody else did) palm springs on thursday evenings (like 6-10). they close palm cyn. entertainment, traditional farmers mkt. plus art, cooked food. very nice.

i'll take this thread and paste it into a farmers market word document in my travel folder. so before next trip i'll have a peak. always so fun to sample (and perhaps take home) what is growing locally. we snagged at least 20 lbs of yummy dried fruit from the sf ferry bldg recently, and are still enjoying it, while being reminded of the trip.

Santa Monica's Arizona Ave. has a market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

And it looks like the roads are still safe from Russ Weller for now:

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/4300071/detail.html

there is also one on Sundays next to Main Street and one *at* SMO too:

http://santa-monica.org/farmers_market/

Westwood (by UCLA) has one on Thursdays:

http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/db/is...s.farmers.html

Houston has a few pretty decent farmer's markets. Sadly, the one on Airline had a pretty serious fire last year. It's supposed to have (mostly) recovered, though. Can't find a link to it.

But there's also one run out of Monica Pope's new restaurant, T'Afia. Great place to eat in Houston, and the farmer's market is good, if small. Check it out at www.tafia.com.

Santa Cruz, California: more organic farms than anywhere else
 

What a timely topic for me to have just discovered. I have the good fortune to live in Santa Cruz, which has about 30% more organic farms than Fresno, though we are smaller in area and population by about a third. I think that means we probably have more organic (not to mention sustainable, equally important) farms than any county in the United States. It is truly a paradise here, and Santa Cruz county farmers supply produce to some of the biggest name chefs in the region (and some to restaurants much farther away).

There are two major farmers markets year-round:

Wednesday afternoons (2:30-6:30 PM) in downtown Santa Cruz, at the parking lot at Lincoln and Cedar.

Saturday mornings (8 AM - Noon) at Cabrillo College on Soquel Drive in Aptos, at the"Upper Campus," just south of the Park Blvd. exit. This is my favorite market of the week, as it's not quite the hippie/patchouli fest that the downtown market is, but I do like them both. Favorite booths: Bill the Oyster Man ($10 for a dozen oysters as big as a dog's tongue; he's at both of these markets, as well as the Sunday market in downtown Los Gatos, over the hill towards Silicon Valley), Live Earth Farm, New Natives (oh, I love pea shoots!), Dirty Girl Farm, Happy Boy Farm, Route One Farm, and the best chai I've ever had at Malabar Trading Company (only on Saturdays at Cabrillo).

We have a number of markets open May through October as well, including a Thursday afternoon market in the heart of Capitola village, a block from the ocean. There is also a sweet little market with some of my favorite farms on Sunday mornings in East Cliff Village (15th and Portola Drive).

Tuesdays and Fridays, the UCSC Farm & Garden has a market at the corner of Bay and High streets, at the base of the UCSC campus.

I just last week started a photography/written blog about small farms, starting in Santa Cruz but branching out. I love farms and farmers markets. I'll be traveling to New York next month, visiting some farms around there, and then to England this summer, though visiting farms is not my primary reason for travel.

It's a labor of love, completely. SmallFarmsBlog.com is the address that will take you to the Typepad site. Please feel free to send me your own links to things related to small farms: I'm starting on a modest scale but intend to be a resource for people who care about these things. I am a professional food photographer with some chefs and restaurants as clients, and I know one thing: behind every good chef is at least one great farmer. The farms are just so beautiful.

A list of farmers markets all around Santa Cruz, down to Monterey, Salinas, etc.

Great topic: thanks for posting!

I wondered if SLO would draw mention. It's great!

Anyone know anything about Pleasanton CA on Saturday mornings?

Findlay Market in Cincinnati
 

My all-time favorite. Used to shop there while in college. Year-round, although of course produce was better in Spring/Summer/Fall. Excellent deli, dairy, and bakery products year round. In rather decrepit part of the city though, an area called "Over-the-Rhine."

Tradition was, might still be, that baseball opening day ceremony/parade started at Findlay Market.

Best Seafood Market in Sydney, Australia
 

For something that's outta this world... the best and freshest seafood comes from The Sydney Fish Market in Australia.

http://www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au/

I've just been there recently and the seafood is amazing. Tried the Sydney Rock Oysters (EXCELLENT & CHEAP), grilled baramundi, BBQ octopus... ^ ^

Truly outta the world experience. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! :D

Not surprisingly, a lot of CA towns and cities listed. Tracy, in the San Joaquin valley, had a nice saturday morning farmers market downtown when I lived there 6 years ago.

Unfortunately, the downside of being surrounded by groves and fields is major allergy problems. Never figured out if it was the plums, nectarines, almonds, cherries or what. Seems like something was always throwing out pollen.

One of the great treasures of New York.
http://www.cenyc.org/HTMLGM/xmaingm.htm

Bring a very full wallet to this one - first place I've ever seen local apples $8/lb in season.

Best one is in Mountain View - year round, Sundays 9 am to 1pm, right across from the train station. We get our produce, cheeses and fresh breads, pick up beverages at one of the many local cafes, and have a picnic.

Not true about Ferry Building prices. You need to know farmers markets and appropriate pricing for produce, organic and not. Prices were fine, and in some cases very good. Especially for example, dried organic fruits, which were among the most exotic i've ever seen anywhere, and quite reasonable in price.

Actually, I do know farmer's market pricing - I've shopped at a variety of them weekly for about 15 yers now, and buy mainly organic. Ferry Building market hands down is the most expensive produce I've ever seen, including that in local specialty/upscale groceries. Perhaps it is all in perspective: mine is that apples, same variety and same quality, should not cost in San Francisco over twice what they cost in Mountain View.

sorry, but respectfully disagree. i've been a part of the calif. farmers markets since they began (early 80's), and was myself an oregon tilth certified organic grower in the 80's. stand by what i said. overall, better things there than at most farmers markets, and reasonable prices (OVERALL). one obviously needs to be a savy shopper wherever you go, including farmers markets.