A Marin institution, just a 20-minute drive over the Golden Gate, this Sunday market is the third-largest farmers market in California. More than 200 farmers and purveyors attend every week, with everything you could possibly want in your kitchen: atypical citrus like Buddha’s Hand and pink lemons from De Santis Farms, piles of salad greens from County Line Farms, and Nicasio Valley’s farmstead cheeses. Despite its suburban vibe and proximity to the city, 50 percent of Marin County land is agricultural, meaning many farmers are right on their home turf. Iconic vendors include Star Route Farms, California’s oldest organic farm, which happens to be right in the county.

Berkeley’s reputation as a liberal-minded, organic-loving enclave comes to life in its excellent farmers markets. Three weekly markets are operated by the nonprofit Ecology Center, which spearheads the Market Match Program, giving dollar-to-dollar matches for shoppers using SNAP that allow their funds to go that much further. Each market spotlights independent farmers like Annabelle Lenderink of La Tercera, selling lesser-known vegetables like the edible green shrub agretti and unfamiliar squashes; Efren Avalos of Avalos Farm who grows berries and vegetables; and Churchill-Brenneis Orchard who has unusual citrus and avocados. Don’t miss the prepared foods, either, like Nazifa Sidiq’s vegan Afghan flatbreads at Bolani.

Splash Pad Park is home to this vibrant city market in the heart of Oakland, held year-round every Saturday. While it’s a family event, with bouncy houses and live music, the farmers are top-notch, too. Well-known Bay Area favorites like Prather Ranch Meat Company and Happy Boy Farms are on the scene, with dozens of farmers and dozens more food purveyors joining them.

With more than two decades of history, the Old Oakland Market in the city’s historic downtown is one of the best in the East Bay. You know you’ve landed in the right place when you’re alongside area chefs, many of whom shop the market in bulk. Bordering Oakland’s Chinatown, the market always has vegetables used in Chinese cuisine on offer, as well as orchard-fresh apples and stone fruit, and prepared foods ideal for a quick lunch.

Any day of the week, the Ferry Building is an eater’s destination, home to stalls and restaurants ranging from Hog Island Oyster to Cowgirl Creamery’s cheese shop. (And the idyllic waterfront is a draw in itself.) But on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings, the surrounding plaza comes alive as one of the city’s best farmers markets. Saturday’s market, a tradition for more than 25 years, includes more than 100 vendors, selling everything from obscure stone fruit to organic specialty mushrooms. Local incubator La Cocina helped many of the food entrepreneurs at Ferry Plaza get their start, including Aedan Fermented Foods (small-batch miso), Bini’s Kitchen (Nepalese momos), and Crumble & Whisk (unusual cheesecakes). 

The best farmers markets are true community efforts, and it can feel like the entire Inner Richmond comes out for this weekly event. More than 50 farmers and purveyors descend on the neighborhood, selling everything from dry-farmed potatoes and juicy berries to savory hand pies and mango rose lassis. Low-key and accessible, it’s as conducive to serious shopping as it is to pleasant browsing. 

A rare afternoon and evening market, the Mission Community Market (also known as Mission Mercado) reflects the neighborhood’s historically Latino population. The open-air market, founded in 2010, opens every Thursday at 4 p.m., hosting many popular Bay Area vendors (Far West Fungi, Twin Girls Farm) as well as unique stalls like Alejandro’s Trade, selling Latin American crafts. And if you’re craving empanadas, pupusas, or tacos, you’ve got plenty to choose from.

The neighborhood of Noe Valley lost a community pillar when their beloved market, the Real Food Company, shut in 2003. So the locals came together to create the Noe Valley Farmers Market, still run by volunteers to this day. While smaller than many others, the vendors include local heavy hitters like Capay Organic (with a wide variety of organic vegetables) and Hidden Star Orchards (ciders, jams, and preserves). Great markets might not need hundreds of vendors — just a dozen great ones.

Often called “the people’s market,” Alemany is the oldest farmers market in the state, a history it wears proudly. Born from wartime conditions in 1943, it was established by the Victory Garden Council to enable farmers to sell surplus crops. It’s since evolved into a comparatively affordable market beloved by locals. Some vendors sell their more cosmetic crops at Ferry Plaza and bring the rest, at a much lower price, to Alemany. The diverse selection of vendors includes independent growers like Apolinar Yerena of Yerena Farms, with berries, squashes, and squash blossoms, and Moua’s Farm, supplying daikon, taro, lemongrass, water spinach, and many other herbs and vegetables used in Southeast Asian cuisine. Don’t miss prepared foods like huaraches and pupusas, either.