Favorite Farmers Markets in the West

“We have two different summer markets in downtown Missoula, Montana: the Missoula Farmers Market and the Clark Fork River Market. People come from all over to sell their produce, which includes wild huckleberries, the best Honeycrisp apples I’ve had anywhere, and delicious tree-ripened Montana peaches. I sometimes walk or bike, but I most often drive, as I buy enough it’s difficult to haul!” —Jeff Padgett

“The scale and variety are unparalleled at the Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver, B.C. It runs all year, but it’s best to visit in early- to mid-September when the berries are oversized and extra ripe. I feel like a grizzly bear chomping them down. Once, my wife and I pulled together a charcuterie plate of Parma ham, brie, plump ripe figs and berries, a baguette, and a bottle of prosecco, and snacked on it with a few tourists from Germany while watching the boats go by with Vancouver’s glistening skyline as a backdrop. Sigh…” —Mark Nothaft

“The year-round Central Sacramento Sunday Certified Farmers Market at 8th and W Streets is located under the highway, so you are shielded from the rain in the winter and the sun in the summer. It’s one of the last to stay true to having farm-fresh food. My favorite citrus vendor got me hooked on pineapple guavas, the SweeTarts of the fruit world! And I can’t buy enough figs during fig season. The only thing missing is milk!” —Kelly Schreihofer

“The fresh fruit and vegetables are amazing at the twice-weekly Vineyard Farmers Market in Fresno, California. It also has knife sharpening, fresh meats, a coffee stand, a bakery, homemade foods and items, and cooking demonstrations. I especially like Eddie and Tracy Garcia’s stand. They drive 30 miles each way twice a week to sell their home-grown produce. I have learned about many different types of spinach, such as arrowhead and tatsoi, which is similar to bok choy, as well as a lettuce that I forgot the name of—but it’s so different from the regular ones.” —Lisa Bartels

“Everything is fresh at the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market in Arizona [closed July–September], and just about everything can be sampled before buying. There’s the perfect bloody mary mix and the biggest pastries I’ve ever seen.” —Allan J. Friedbauer

“On summer Saturdays in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Downtown Farmers Market vendors set up tents on the perimeter of Pioneer Park. It’s a lovely way to see everything, walking around the square and then eating on the grass in the middle. I love the fresh lettuce, dried cherries, raw milk and cheeses, peaches (OMG!), pluots, tomatoes, three-ingredient sourdough bread, beef empanadas, fresh pastas, yummy teas, hot sauces, beautiful artisan wood products, great cinnamon rolls, and amazing flowers—just to name a few of my favorites.” —Stephanie Houge

“Although there are two markets at the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, California, I prefer the smaller Thursday Marin Farmers Market. It’s less crowded and easier to find a close parking spot. There’s an abundance of produce, seafood, meats, and prepared foods. I recently purchased mozzarella di bufala (“from water buffalo”) from Ramini Mozzarella. It was the first time I’d tried it, and it was fantastic!” —Keith Bancroft

“The Jackson Hole Farmers Market runs through summer in Jackson Town Square. It features locally raised beef, pork, and lamb. Some of the beef is sold by ranchers who are in the fourth, fifth, and sixth generations of naturally raising cattle in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. There are also vegetables and fruits, home-based bakeries, and cheeses. It not only provides fresh food for locals, but also a chance for visitors to experience a different aspect of Wyoming.” —Patrick W. Hattaway

“I’ve been going to the year-round Pleasanton Farmers Market for decades, ever since my parents moved down the street from it in Pleasanton, California. Nowadays, I drive 20 minutes each way from our home every Saturday. It has a marvelous array of fruits and vegetables, but it also has a great selection of meat, cheese, fish, flowers, baked goods, and premade meals. Recently, I found makrut limes. And there is a fish vendor that gets fresh oysters.” —Rikki Miller

“I love our Watsonville Farmers Market in Watsonville, California. It skirts the City Plaza, where everyone eventually meets up on Fridays. It is small, and the vendors know a lot of their customers by name. Sometimes they will have cactus leaves cleaned of the thorns, whole or cut up. My best find is always the tomatoes! They will often have ‘seconds’ that you can purchase very reasonably for canning, too. There is sometimes live music. It’s the Friday night place to be.” —Sara J. Candelaria