all votes for Berkeley Farmers' Markets
The absolutely delicious produce/baked goods/food and friendly people!!!
They do a wonderful job at organizing the markets providing local produce and a safe enviorment. Also they do a great job educating patrons about the variety of items found at the market that are sometimes overlooked.
Unbeatable quality. It's the best you will find anywhere.
yum yum yum! its organic fresh fantastic deliciousness!
It brings in the best farms in California. Full Belly, Kashiwase, Anne Belle's, Four Sisters, Riverdog, and many many more. Thank you Alice Waters :)
I love the fact these farmers have come from out of town to provide us an opportunity to select their home grown products, which they have transported to our back doors. I enjoy seeing their pride in selling their products to us, an exchange of human warmth in an outdoor market..
I travel by BART to come to Berkeley Farmers' Market for the many organic products not available at my local market. I'm encouraged by my physician to eat organic foods as much as possible, and there they are, in Berkeley! Also, it's a fun place.
There are 3 days of markets, the produce is wonderful, it's 99% organic, and we are supporting local farmers. I love, love, love our farmer's market!
local, friendly, fresh, healthy, real food.
The produce is fabulous. The quality is high, it is MAINLY organic, a defining quality, and the choice is phenomenal - several kinds ofj peaches, apples, greens, breads, saurkraut, avocados, melons, heirloom tomatoes, etc. The market operates all year and profiles many, many local farmers. I LOVE my Berkeley markets!
Great, delicious local food. Offer samples. Have a great variety, including many things you can't get in normal stores. Have food service offering Asian, Indian, etc. food. Friendly!
I love them! My neighborhood in San Diego was one of the first to have a Farmer's Market, and I would go every week, so I was thrilled that Berkeley had three! Delicious produce and everything else!
fabulous produce, almost all organic, plus wheat, rice, olive oil, almost all the food my family eats comes from the berkeley farmers' market
The flavor, freshness & quality are outstanding. And the personalities of our farmers are delightful
Right now: dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes and O Henry peaches. Always: good food, good music, I see my friends there, and two of the markets are within walking distance of my house. Also, I like being outdoors.
Most of the food is organic, the markets are small and friendly but have great selection, the food is beautiful, I run into people I know, and it benefits the Ecology Center, which is a great organization. It's the best of what a community should be.
The produce is incredible, the stall workers are generous and gracious, and I love supporting local agriculture. What's not to like?
The three day/week markets help ensure my kitchen is always stocked with the freshest ingredients. Our Berkeley market farmers are knowledgeable and friendly, and vendors continually surprise and delight me with their generosity and know-how. I've been able to stop shopping at Trader Joe's and only visit Berkeley Bowl once or twice a month for some extras, with the farmer's markets feeding my boyfriend and me almost exclusively. !
I lived my happiest healthiest years in Berkeley ( 17) the farmers and foods are among the finest. one seeking health cannot HELP but support this.
It's a great way to support local and sustainable food! I love being able to interact with the farmers and see who is producing my food!
With markets 3 days a week, in 3 locations, year-round, it's pretty hard to beat this market for consistently great produce. They've committed to zero waste, so don't expect to see any plastic bags around (bring your own, or pay a quarter for paper or a biodegradable bag). Lots of samples, a good assortment of organic fruits, veggies, and prepared foods, I look forward to this every week. If you go to the Tuesday or Thursday market, make sure to ask about the frequent shopper card (earn great market merchandise just by showing up!)
amazing meats and produce! nice people. its just so lovable.
It offers 90% of the food I eat - for myself, my family and friends. It's so good to shake the hands that feed me; I learn so much from the farmers.
I enjoy the delicious produce, grown by farmers in our area.
It keeps me in touch with my food, where it comes from. The variety is always great and I love the challenge to cook seasonal. Going to the farmer's market is a real spiritual experience for me.
Great vendors, fun atmosphere.
Good food and friendly people!
Great organic food, people and vibes!
Tons of organic fruits & vegetables, lots of choices. Prices not the lowest, but they are organic. There's lots of sampling, with interesting products. e.g. Seedllings for planting & organic farmer raised meats. Recycling, composting, disposing consciousness. Fun.
Shopping local is the way to go!! There are great farmers and the best produce and food!
organic food tastes better!
It was one of the first in the nation, and it does exactly what it set out to do: bring fresh, organic, locally grown produce and other goods to neighborhoods without having to truck them all over the country. It has become a treasured community resource and an indispensable part of the fabric of our town.
They have excellent fresh and organic veggies. The food vendors offer fresh, organic, vegetarian and vegan food. There is a great sense of community and support for local farmers.
I go to all of the Eats Bay farmer's markets because I want the very freshest, local food and I love seeing the faces of the people who grow my food!
Amazing selection of produce from hardworking and friendly farmers, as well as a diversity of food stalls.
i believe in local, sustainable, organic agriculture.
As a professional cook, I'm always finding inspiration from produce, fruit, vegetable, and meat sold at The Berkeley Farmers' Markets. The one I frequent the most is the Saturday morning market which has many diverse food stalls and good coffee to boot! It's a great way to spend my morning and support local growers who work very hard to make California's bounty available to home cooks and restaurants.
Friendly people, great veggies and fruit, all organic.
It's a very diverse market -- with friendly organic vendors, even a knife-sharpener. There are plants to buy (to plant) and vendors willing to give deals on "almost gone" fruit for those of us who like to make jam.
The berkeley farmer's market is the best place to eat and buy great local food and produce, and to get back to our roots know the people who are growing our food!
Everything is so lively about Berkeley Farmers' Market! The produce is great, the selection is fabulous, and everyone is so friendly!
Fantastic, fresh, delicious produce, almost all organic! Great community! A real commitment to reducing waste! I buy almost all my fruits and vegetables there, year round. It's part of why I love living in Berkeley.
The Berkeley Markets have the best selection of locally produced produce, meats and value added items that I have seen in the world. The Ecology Center does an excellent job of making room for small growers and ensuring that the market remains focused on food and farmers not crafts. I heart the Berkeley Farmer's Market and the Ecology Center!!!!
Amazing food. Amazing people. Earth Conscientious environment.
The selection/range of product available is fantastic. It is always fresh & high quality. Most of it is organic. All my fave farms are there. It is late afternoon. The best.
Participating farms are inspected to insure that food is organic; emphasis on nutrition and education; no plastic containers. And if you don't know a turnip from a rutabaga, don't be afraid to ask! No one will make fun of you!
I am a resident of Berkeley who believes in buying sustainably grown food directly from farmers. We attend the Tuesday afternoon market and my 18 month old daughter loves it! (Especially the samples)
great selection of organics; friendly helpful vendors; wonderful take away food, entertainment and educational programs
The frequency of the markets mean I can get farm-fresh organic food for every meal of the week; having the market be a Zero Waste Zone assures the impact on the community is purely a positive one.
supporting the community where i live makes my heart happy and my body thanks the nourishing food i buy from local farmers...i also love the waste-free campaign in north berkeley...TOTES ARE THE ANSWER!!!
Fresh, locally grown produce and products, convenient locations, long time commitment to healthy living and sustainability for all people. Delicious take away food vendors, and last but not least fun entertainment
Great farmers, wonderful community, commitment to sustainability. Fun, fresh and friendly!
Three organic farmers markets a week in Berkeley enable us to eat delicious, fresh, beautiful food all year round. We could not be more appreciative of what these farmers do for us.
Loads and loads of great, local, organic, and fabulous-tasting food! My biggest problem is that I want to buy everything to take home!!
I like the location of the Farmer's market, and I like the food selections they provide.
The biggest draw for me is the Hudson fish stall. Fabulous freshest fish, Lynnette is wonderful, the fish is affordable because there are no middle men - right from their boat to our plates.
A newer draw for me is the Ici ice cream stand. I reward myself for walking to the market and back (and unfortunately replace all calories I have walked off) with a scoop of this most delicious ice cream. If you love italian-style ice cream with strong natural flavors, this is the place.
Also, I go to the organic farmers market, because for me if you are going to pay a premium for produce, it's gotta be organic. So for fruit and for veggies I cannot grow in my foggy backyard, I go to the thursday afternoon all-organic farmers' market in North Berkeley.
It has wonderful, fresh and unusual fruits, vegetables and other foods. The people are great and the experience is always uplifting.
The farms represented bring excellent produce. The flavors are so superior to food that has been stored and trucked long distances.
Berkeley Farmers Markets are always filled with great produce, food and plants.
Excellent produce. Nice people. Great organic cooked food. I love it!
It is a community event and all of the food that is offered is delicious and grown with a consciousness that feeds not only the body but one's soul.
Because I can buy 90 percent of my food from them year around. No other market provides the variety and high standards found here.
They really make a festival out of it, allowing the street music players to join in and have the seasonal gardeners be supported.
The food is wonderful- everything is organic or pesticide free- It is full of delicious fruits and unusual as well as usual vegetables for everyone. We even have meat, ice cream,cookies, breads, coffee and chai and already prepared ethnic foods. It is always full of friendly, generous and helpful people. It is varied, reasonably sized and priced and a very happy place to shop.
They offer three markets every week with a large variety of mostly organic produce as well as baked goods, ice cream, yogurt, some meat and fish, and prepared foods.
I love the food, the music, and the community.
regional produce, baked goods, sustainably grown/harvested dairy products, fish, and meat, lots of information, good people watching, delicious snacks...... and, of course, SAMPLES!
They are the best! Located at different places on different days, the opportunity to get local, fresh and organic produce is amazing.
Beautiful organic produce and some heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables, fresh organic bread and tofu, pasture raised meats, cheeses and ice cream! Almost everything we need comes from our market!
Berkeley's Farmer's Markets are year-round, filled with the luscious harvest of our fertile land. There are 3 each week, and each one has its own personality. Our family has become friends with several of the farmers and our kids have been known to argue over which vegetable they WANT to have for dinner!
They are great, the produce is wonderful, and its all organic.
Because they have amazing food, and they're awesome!
organic nature of products
Right now it's all about the Blue Moon organic blackberries at the Thursday market. In early spring it's about fava beans and artichokes at all three. In the winter it's the sweetish bitter greens. 9 months of the year there are various varieties of avocados. Little gems are a lettuce I can actually get excited about. Oh--mustn't forget Lucero strawberries. Not only are they juicy & sweet but they also taste like strawberries! Yeah, I'm told farmers' markets environmentally sound, and a visit to one is an instant antidepressant, but I wouldn't be going down to Derby Street today if it weren't for the peaches. I support the Berkeley Farmers' Markets because I like good food.
I love the multiple locations and days!
There are so many every week, have a wide variety of products and produce, and are very friendly.
Berkeley's farmers' markets consistently have fresh produce, proteins, and locally produced foods (breads, cheeses, honeys, oils) for a good price, and the vendors are helpful and happy to answer questions. Ecology Center staff are friendly and accommodating. Great locations and multiple markets throughout the week enable shoppers to buy responsibly and frequently. I appreciate that the market has eliminated plastic bags and that it works to help under-served communities obtain fresh, local foods.
lots of great organic products. Friendly vendors. I run into my friends there.
It rules!!
Berkeley Farmer's markets consistently have the largest selection of organic produce, seasonal goods and prepared foods than any other farmer's market that I have been to—period. I have never been disappointed by the quality of heirloom veggies and fruit, sustainably caught fish, raised beef, cheeses and breads. I love the Berkeley Farmer's Market!
The food is always good and there's great variety. Folks are always happy to answer questions and explain about a food you're not familiar with. The shoppers are interesting too…I always run into someone else I know.
wonderful community feel! get to talk to the actual farmers! (who know most everything about what they're selling). can feel good about buying local and supporting small farms.
I get to pick up my CSA box from Blue Moon Organics (highly recommend you join) (831) 247-0399 and fill in any missing organic products straight from the source without expanding my foot print, and letting kids learn the fundamentals of getting what you pay for (and few luscious samples too) as we smile in the street getting face painted, listening to musicians and plan the yummy dinner to be had from the diversity of foods available to us locally and in season !
The best down to earth, core ideals for years & years!
I go to the Berkeley Farmers' Market to get my organic bread and pastry fix. I love my local bakery, Vital Vittles, which uses organic whole wheat flour on their irresistibly award winning 100% whole wheat bread! My market is so environmentally conscious that it makes me proud to shop there. With its diverse variety of fruits, vegetables, specialty foods, and vendors, the Berkeley Farmers' Market is truly the place to shop!
The vendors are kind and knowlegeable. The produce is so fresh. And my 3 year old loves to lead me straight to the two guys on guitar so she can dance.
A number of reasons. In short: taste, biodiversity, bodily + environmental + global health, appreciation of close to nature hard work, and to spite the conventional food markets with their twisted economic incentives.
All organic, great variety. And the festivals with music in the park are the best for bringing together community.
You contribute to the wellness of our planet and all that it entails. I truly appreciate that. Good luck.- John
Berkeley Farmers Market are great families conserving soil, using environmental practices providing tasty, fresh, healthy food.
Because they have several markets, in various locations, each week, which makes them very accessible. They've contributed to the community well-being for a long time.
For us, it is part of our life. We ride our three year old over to the Berkeley Farmer's Market and are delighted by the vibrant colors of the people, produce and farmer's. The experience is a wonderful way to live the values that we are trying to instill in our child. I feel great as a momma knowing that I am feeding my child and family the freshest and most flavorful foods, and that our local farms are taking care of their soil, their plants, their people, and us! Itadakimasu!
The Saturday Berekeley Farmer's market is the best farmer's market I've been to. Selection, comfortable atmosphere, support from the local ecology center... I've lived in Berkeley, Paris, San Francisco, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and Saint George. Also, I've tried to go to Farmer's Markets in other towns that I've visited. I like Berkeley's the best and try to go whenever I am passing through town.
Super high standards. You know what you are getting.
You can't get more beautiful or delicious produce anywhere and the community the market creates is truly wonderful.
i like to support local farmers!
They're amazing! My kids love everything, the vendors are friendly, and the produce is simply amazing!
All organic! Yeah!
Amazing baked breads, world's best apricots, Blue Bottle coffee, meat, mushrooms, greens, peaches, tamales, pasta, apples, oysters, halibut, tomatoes, basil, 3 times a week, 52 weeks a year.
Fantastic selection, friendly farmers, specialty hard-to-find items — and not nearly as crowded and with easier parking than the Sn Francisco Ferry Plaza one.
It's organic, it's local foods, it's 3-days a week at different locations and two of them are less than ten-minute walk from my house! I don't need to drive anywhere! You can even get delicious Kumamoto oysters on a half-shell!
Organic and local - that's why!
cleanest, organized, variety, and everything else!
Fresh, local food year-round!
Great local organic produce, flowers , music and a warm community atmosphere. What more could you ask for?
It's all organic produce -- a real food market, not a place to buy candles and tie-dyed t-shirts.
Great food and great community gathering event.
I love the farmers and the food and the music!
Great people, great selection, reasonable prices.
Shopping at the Berkeley Farmer's Market is a most wonderful experience. The best food produers & knowledgeable people come together to commune. This the best place to take a date, too.
It's just the best.
We are lucky to have three great farmers markets in Berkeley, with super-fresh local produce year-round!
I have been to farmers markets up and down the west coast. The Berkeley Farmers Markets have the best selection and quality of organic produce of all the markets I've been to! Also the best market staff!
Best selection of organic produce. It's extremely farmer-centric (not diluted by prepared food or crafts). It's for serious foodies.
No plastic bags!
Fresh, organic, local foods right in our own urban environment is necessary for our own health and that of our community and world.
The markets are wonderful!!! FRESH,FRESH, AND MORE FRESH!!! I am a Berkeley native and love the variety and goodies that the markets have to offer
The Berkeley Farmers' Markets are carefully andd responsibly run. The BFM values beautiful tasty products, high quality of life and conveniece for its farmers, and getting the best food to the community. Hooray for these GMO-free markets!
Lovely food in a tight community. I always see people I know and like very much.
Here's why I support the Berkeley Farmer's market:
Riverdog
Blue Heron
Full Belly
Guru Ram Dass Orchard
Catalan
Dirty Girl
Avalos
All fabulous organic farms
Yummiest food. Friendliest people!
So yummy, so fresh! And always something new to try.
Great people, stringent organic and sustainable standards, and now zero-waste! Oh, the produce and food is excellent too :?)
It's a terrific place to see neighbors and friends. Plus, they are all organic and local, have made EBT available for shoppers, and are generally one of the main reasons Berkeley is the terrific community that it is!
A community that feels like my own family. Run by the Ecology Center, an incredible local resource with a lot of integrity and high standards for the sustainability and quality of produce and food sold. The freshest, juiciest, yummiest, organic and GE-free food available. Open year round rain or shine, and now zero waste, too! The Berkeley Farmers' Market is the center of the local food community: it works with the local school district, local restaurants, and lots of other community organizations that focus on food security and food justice. I love it!!!
The Berkeley Farmers market, and its vendors and customers, have a tremendous dedication to environmental issues and work to incorporate social justice concerns. Not to mention the 12 month growing season!
Great produce, hardworking farmers, locally grown.
fabuous food. good tastes every week before purchase; all year round rain or shine the farmer's show up. sustainably grown food
It is easily to get to and it's organic . People are friendly and lots of families come.
My first experience with local, natural organic products. Vendors are wonderful.
Local, natural, and organic products galore! A huge array of seasonal fresh fruits and veggies for amazingly great and reasonable prices. Food vendors like Flaco's (vegan mexican) serving up fresh, wholesome food only add to the allure. Go shopping knowing you are supporting local farms and organic practices and get the BEST produce you'll ever see or taste - and then grab lunch and sit in the sun on the cushy grass and enjoy your meal!
The great Berkeley farmers' market was what got me hooked on markets and slow food in general. It wasn't until then that I saw such a great sense of community and had such amazingly tasty food. The mint ice cream with actual mint was a revelation and now that I live in New York I still go back for the yogurt when I'm in the Bay area. Nothing like it here.
They are a wonderful community event!
fresh, pleasant, community event. very berkeley!
Local, organic, fresh - delicious!!! Great music and community!
Local health food.
Local, fresh, organic, and just a bike ride away! The people selling the produce are always so friendly!
What can I say, I live in such a wonderfully diverse and interesting community and our Famers' Market is just one of the prime examples of this. The people there are friendly, unique and incredibly knowledgeable. You will see young and old helping each other and all sorts of advice. No one can complain about having such beautiful fresh food, it makes my meals even more YUMMY!!!!
It'obvious. The food is gorgeous, picked that day. I love the salad with the nasturtiums and the baby spinach and those gorgeous gnarled big black tomatoes for my bruschetta and the zuccini and huge sweet onions which I cook together with their freshly
picked mushrooms (soldin a paper bag, where we should all keep our mushrooms to keep them fresh). Throw in a tomatoe and a bell pepper and some fresh bok choy, saute it in a huge iron skillet in organic olive oil and a bit of organic butter and you have the most delicious fresh healthy meal that can feed 5 plus leftovers. At the end I chunk another onion and add
that to the mix. Yummy and all fresh and organic.
I go from one farm to another at the Berkeley Farmer's Market at Shattuck and Rose. Just LOVE it!
Because it goes on ALL year long and has tons of yummy local Organics!!! I LOVE IT!
I love the fresh produce from surrounding areas and being able to interact with the farms without going out there. Even though our produce markets are outstanding (Montery Market and Berkeley Bowl) it is the interaction with the local growers that I love and the inspiration their gorgeous fresh produce gives me to cook and eat healthy!
Almost 100% organic! Great growers. Also has Three Twins ice cream, fresh pasta, fish, fresh tortillas and a great dosa maker.
We enjoy the fresh fruits and vegetables buying directly from the farmers who grew them.
Great people and great food.
They make great efforts to provide our community with quality food and the market gives a chance for people to build relationships with the growers of their food, which is empowering. Very friendly and great variety
its good. iys local, its sustainable and small-time producers can participate.
Great ambiance, not snooty and overpriced like the one in SF on the Embarcadero. Also, lots of great hot food, plus the awesome array of veggies. A great 60's community feel; after all, hippies started it all!
The best food from the nicest people.
variety - 2 huge with musicians and homemade foods and fresh salmon, fresh meats(Tuesday and Sat) 1 is smaller (Thursday)- still has fresh meats
Wonderful food available. Great community gathering. Pride in having such a delightful market in our neighborhood. I look forward to visiting our market every week, buying delicious food and learning about new ways to help our environment.
I always find the best quality food at all the Berkeley Farmers' Markets. Fresh eggs, local honey, knife sharpening, great produce. Can't ask for anything better.
It is my weekly spiritual practice every Saturday I am in town to walk up to the Berkeley Farmer's Market with my cart and my cloth bags. I love the changing of the produce with the seasons. I love the taste of the fruits and vegetables. I enjoy getting to know the people at the market.
Some of the vendors accept EBT cards (food stamps), making fresh, healthy, local food accessible to low-income people like myself.
We love our farmers and their food! Yay Avalos! Yay Kashiwase!
Only place to get local honey from local bees.
Excellent weekly organic markets, sponcered by the Ecology Center, well attended and supported by the community.
great produce and products; wide variety; pretty nice vendors; good music/entertainment
The fruit/vegetables taste wonderful, look fresh and appealing. Live music is playing. People are in good spirits. But no one alas is selling anything chocolate!
Our local markets have interesting entertainment in addition to ample and varied selections of organic produce and other products.
Fabulous taste! Fresh and local!
The Berkeley Farmers Market on Shattuck Ave. is all organic.
I run into friends. Love the music. It's a two minute walk from my cottage. I don't buy much (have my own garden) but it feels like home.
organic, freshness, great flavor, locally grown,
I love meeting the farmers and seeing who is growing the food I eat. I love to go to the market and see what is in season and plan a meal around what is available
I just discovered the best croissants outside Paris - it's eaten before I get home.
Fresh, fresh food!
Attending the Saturday Berkeley Farmer's Market is the best time of the week no matter the season or weather; with much gratitude for the variety of fruits and vegetables, the fresh organic tofu, unprocessed honey, sustainably caught fish, cardamom ice cream!, oysters no less, vegetararian tamales, almonds and pistachios, friendly sometimes familiar faces, Berkeley celebrities, fabulous musicians and even worms working hard at composting.
I like the variety and the 3 locations. I like to be able to buy live plants as well as produce and baked goods.When i lived in Berkeley, I went to a farmer's market right up the street; I stiil go on my way to work.
I get almost all my fruit and vegetables there, organinc, fresh and delicious, and support the farmers directly
Fresh food
The food is wonderful, the farmers friendly, and we have 3 markets a week, with mostly all organic produce. 12 months a year, too!
They are trying to get to "zero" waste, they support the local farm, educate the public AND they are fun. You get the very best food here.
I love having access to fresh, local food, and I appreciate the variety of foods at the Berkeley Farmers' Markets.
Great energy! Great veggies! Great fiddlers and potted plants too! Close to my home! Rain or shine it's always full of great community!
because I get great food from great folks!
the markets are relatively small and offer everything from fab organic or sustainable veggies to musice to esoteric greens.
Most of the food is organic and the market is held several times a week, both on Saturday and weekdays. The markets are close by. And the food is excellent!
best, fresh veggies and fruit.....why not??
It feels good supporting the local community and taking part in a sustainable way of living. The people are friendly and the food is almost all organic. Love it!
great food, great people
Local food, local community, sustainability. It makes sense.
My favorite Berkeley farmers market is on Tuesdays from 2pm-7pm on Derby Street at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. It's awesome!!!
I take my 2 yr old son on Tuesdays, and we leave strawberry stained every time! That's a good thing.
Sustainability
Fair Labor Practices
Organic, Locally Grown Food - good for the planet, human beings, animals
I would like to believe I am eating real, safe food that is nutritious and grown with TLC.
They're the best thing in town!
The one I go to (Thursday afternoons; North Berkeley) is ALL-organic! Easy parking, pleasant atmosphere, near the Cheese Board.
This market has been in operation for 25 years, featuring the freshest small farm supplied organic produce available. Often on Saturday morning you will find buyers for local slow food restaurants, such as Charlie from Pizzaiolo, cruising for unusual offerings such as organic nettles and rapini to cook up and offer his lucky patrons. Also, most the farmers you see that have been bringing this bounty to us, have been loyal to this market for the entire time its been open. I call this market my "Church of Food", because I never miss it -rain or shine!
It's a lively, fun place to shop. Everything's organic, there's loads of free tastes, and you bump into all your friends.
best fresh produce in the world, wonderful vendors!
