Certified Farmers' Market Palm Springs Outdoor — Local services in Palm Springs

We are visiting PS for a month. Did our first big shopping trip to Albertsons, and were immediately aggravated by woody cantaloupe and tasteless tomatoes - typical of chain grocers that pick everything green, weeks before sale, to ship to distant distribution centers.

So we learned of the PS Saturday farmers market and thought that must be a better option. What a huge shock, in terms of expense and quality.

We like the idea of supporting local farmers, and we get that it takes time and effort to package everything up, drive to a farmers market, set up a display, etc. At a good farmer's market, that effort justifies some extra expense. But it's reasonable to expect quality and value at the same time. We spent around $120 on fruits and vegetables alone, and won't be returning.

Some specifics:

"Vine ripe" tomatoes: $4 for three small tomatoes, past their prime. Cut up for a salad later that day, they were fairly dry and tasteless. Cherry tomatoes: $6 a pint, absolutely no different in taste or texture from what we'd get at a mainstream grocery. A dozen or so in each pint were too old / wilted to use. (This particular vendor also overcharged us.) Golden beets: four very tiny beets, the size of a baby's fist or smaller, $4 Strawberries: Here we were thinking, this MUST be a winner, this being California, surely these are picked right down the road, yesterday afternoon! They looked good, as genetically modified berries in the store often do, but similarly, we were deceived: $12 for 3 pints, dry and wooden, more or less similar to Albertson's. There's no way these had been picked within the previous three or four days – if so, they'd been left in the sun quite a long time. When cleaning immediately upon returning home, at least five large berries had to be tossed due to partial rot. mixed greens: $4 a bag. Though we washed, dried, and put them in the fridge right when we got home, they really weren't usable the second day. More than a few leaves were wilted and yellowed. Many were dry.

It was a very hot morning, but we got there by 8:30, so surely that little amount of time in the heat shouldn't have dried out the produce on display. If so, maybe the organizers should think of moving this event to an indoor space. We've read the other reviews here, and clearly we are in the minority, which makes us wonder if the Local Guides writing these reviews are mainly boosting local business (good intentions, but ...) or what the heck might...

I visited this farmers market the first wk end in August which made it a bit harder to find because it was on the inside of a rec center. The gps sends you to the correct location however I recommend looking for their hanging signs. (there’s two)

After finding the location the parking is free and more than enough. I arrived about 11 am. If you’re into natural holistic organic there’s something there you’ll want to purchase. From cheese to honey beauty products fruits vegetables herbs and some pre packaged foods like guacamole there’s something for everyone. I purchased rosemary mint purple potatoes white nectarines cantaloupe and black blueberry grapes. Fruit, I must say was absolutely indescribable amazing. Sweet...

Just moved to PS and happened upon this market… we were browsing (while holding our 4lb Chihuahua) and then approached by someone who told us we could not be here with a pet. Mind you this is a completely OUTDOOR market! How silly, petty and ridiculous! I have been to sooo many markets and of course pets are always allowed… But not here! Really bad move on their part… these vendors would make so much more money if it was pet friendly. We will never be back and...