California Avenue Farmers' Market — Attraction in Palo Alto

This is a genuine community event (although the community is not confined to Palo Alto). Folks show up to search for tasty fruits and vegetables, of course, and they are not disappointed. Someone actually checks out the operations that sell their goods here; they are not allowed to go to a wholesale operation and pass off food purchased there as their own. You can find vendors selling everything from olive oil and kombucha to cuts of meat and artisanal pastries. But there's more than wonderful vendors here. There's a delightful music scene with local singers and musicians who could actually make it big. There's a game shop where you can rent a table on the sidewalk and spend the afternoon competing, or you can park the kids there while you walk around unencumbered. It's one of many shops that take advantage of the increased foot traffic the market attracts. And speaking of competion, there are many breakfast choices both in restaurants and in booths. What's...

This is my pick over the Mountain View farmers market mainly because it is less of a zoo and I somehow get really lucky with parking. I imagine the produce and prices are comparable and in some cases the same given at least one business I visit has a simultaneous presence at both. Case in point, I bought lovage, a supposedly elusive plant/shrub/bush used for Romanian soup. That made someone's day, as she thought it was impossible to find around here. This was at the stand selling seedlings, and organic ones at that. Cole Canyon Farms I believe it's called. It's my primary reason for going to these markets and my last trip was the most gratifying yet given my score of what appeared to be the last of those...

The Sunday California Avenue Farmers' Market is definitely one of my favorite markets in the area. There are tons of organic veggies, fruits and nuts. There are delicious bakery stands like Craftsman & Wolves and The Midwife and the Baker.

This Sunday, I stopped at the FlipFresh spice stand. Chad is the owner and he was super knowledgeable and friendly. I got some ground sumac and I was blown away with how fresh it was. I sprinkled it on my quick lunch of hard boiled eggs, avocado, mushrooms, and radishes. The sumac added a bright, citrusy flavor to everything. I can’t wait to buy more...