Leena Eats, Gourmet Communication ... Food, Travel, Gastronomy

Welcome to Berkeley’s Farmers Market, where locally grown produce and banjo-playing former hippies abound.

You can’t live near Berkeley, love food, and NOT visit their farmers market. It’s not quite illegal (yet), but I’ve heard a band of local yippies will bombard your house with useless pamphlets about water conservation (don’t flush the toilet after each use? YEAH, THAT IS NOT GROSS AT ALL) at all hours of the day.

Consequently, the homeless will also ring your doorbell, minus the water conservation pamphlets and add a little “Need Money” sign. But unless you are planning on feeding them, the homeless don’t give a shit if you go to Berkeley’s Farmers Market.

The market runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in different locations around the city, with the Thursday market devoted entirely to organic producers.

Quite possibly the most gorgeous bunches of carrots I have laid eyes on. So many colors! Like a Trivedi family reunion!

The dates grown in California taste like candy. Eat them. Now. Preferably with a nice glass of 20 year tawny port.

I was surprised how small the market was, both on organic and non organic days. It was no larger than the tiny farmers market in my Chicago Lincoln Square neighborhood, but I guess because Berkeley has such a long history of great food people living here (Alice Waters and Ruth Reichl to name a few), I assumed it would be massive. I stand corrected.

The meat vendor of the market. I bought a grass-fed leg of lamb from him!

Locally grown romanesco broccoli or Roman cauliflower. So vibrant and detailed!

Not that I have an issue with mostly organic vendors, a slew of ethnic food vendors and artisanal yogurt–I actually enjoy it a lot. To steal a line from that great movie, 40 year old Virgin, I guess I just put the farmers market on a pedastol.

Another gorgeous display of organic veg in the afternoon sun light.

Local bread vendor that is quite popular with the senior citizen crowd.

Their meyer lemon yogurt kicks ass and comes in the most adorable ceramic container. Yes, cute containers totally factor into my purchase decisions. Especially when I can keep them.

Pears! In a farmers market! Yay!

You know what is great? Even though it is totally not strawberry season, these are not grown in Indonesia. They are Cali produce! Take THAT, Chicago winter!

While the Berkeley Farmers Market is not a weekly destination for me, I know it is the place to go if I am looking for gorgeous organic produce or grassfed meat. The organic market on Thursdays is worth visiting, even if you are from out of town, as it is near The Cheese Board, Chez Panisse and many other delicious foodie stops.

~LTG!
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Berkeley Farmers Market

*Saturdays 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Center Street @ M. L. King, Jr. Way

*Tuesdays 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Derby Street @ M. L. King, Jr. Way

*Thursdays 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
All Organic
Shattuck Avenue @ Rose Street