North Berkeley Farmers' Market

How and why would this fabulous all-organic farmers market in the heart of Berkeley's historic foodie district be anything but 5 stars across the board?What's not to love about this petite farmers' market every Thursday from 3-7pm? It's compact yet still packed with abundance & variety, especially when I visited at the tail end of summer/early fall produce season. I made a beeline directly to the famed Frog Hollow Farms stand that was overflowing with assorted stone fruit (their specialty) and berry tarts, hand pies, and galettes. But right next door you can buy the actual fruit or local honey from other vendors and head home to make your own pastry. Or maybe you want veggies? They've got stall after stall of the season's best. I picked up a ton of basil for pesto. Need to rest? There are shaded tables and chairs for kids to seniors to disabled folks to catch a break while listening to live music. Don't feel like cooking dinner? There's always a vendor, like Roadside Rotisserie, where you can pickup a juicy rotisserie chicken, or pork loin, with sides like red potatoes or broccoli roasted in chicken fat. And if the plethora of organic goodies and vendors galore aren't enough, just turn around and realize that you're surrounded by some of the best food destinations IN THE WORLD: Cheese Board Collective & Cheese Board Pizza, Saul's Deli, Andronico's Grocery, the ORIGINAL Peets Coffee & Tea, and of course Chez Panisse is just 8 doors down! And if you need to wipe the tears of foodie joy and happiness from your eyes, there's a CVS just behind the farmers market with tissues galore. Again, solid 5 stars every time!

A small but quality farmers market. There are a few well known venders that had excellent produce last week. Unfortunately it's pretty miserable if it's sunny and hot though - absolutely zero shade and it's Berkeley so parking can be a hassle (especially in late afternoon).

North Berkeley Farmers' Market is a distant memory from a singular experience years or a decade+ ago. it's a small gathering of organic fruits & veggie vendors. didn't remember many ready to eat food vendors.while i like eating organic goods, i'm not a consistent buyer of them. i prefer to buy edibles for the moment, not having the patience to store and later cook them.i would go again if in the area. i wouldn't make it a destination. Berkeley Bowl is always available without the added hassle of looking for parking.

Small market. No more than a dozen vendors. Good for what it is....a local market with familiar offerings.

I went to Berkeley Thursday Farmer Market after walking from Downtown Berkeley to the FM - it's about 1mi or so (15-20 min). It's from 3-7pm year-round on Shattuck & Rose near the CVS in North Berkeley Gourmet Ghetto.They have lights so even though it gets dark earlier now you can still shop. That's GREAT!Lots of Fall items now:Butternut squashpearsFuyu persimmonsFrog Hollow Farms was selling their pastries for 1/2 off at 6:15pm. It depends if they have lots & trying to get rid of their stuff. I got a large chocolate cherry cookie $1 (reg. $2) and a bag of the mini cherry chocolate chip cookies for $2 (reg. $4 i guess). Galettes were on sale too.Ici ice cream has a cart selling ice cream. That's very cool. I got a pumpkin ice cream sandwich on gingersnap cookies for $4.25. Ice cream was very mild, but cookies were good.Hodo Soy Beanery was there. I can't wait to do their tour of their new facility in Dec!!Organic Gravenstein Apple Cider - Looks good. Will get another time.Flacos - Unique vegetarian Mexican food. Will try another time.Saint Benoit Yogurt has a stand. Hog Island Oyster Company was thereHighland Hills Farm - grassfed beef, lamb & goatHappy Boy Farms - certified organic produceOctoberFeast from SF has breads & pretzels ($2). Didn't get anything, next time.I hope to go back one day.

This Farmer's Market is nicely located along North Shattuck and offers you the convenient chance to hang out in the Gourmet Ghetto area before, during, and after. And the Thursday timing fits my schedule and commute just right.As Toni mentions, this place is a bit on the small side, but the selection is good enough for me, and I enjoy the variety and the friendly neighbourhood vibe. Parking is also fairly straightforward if you know where to look.

Super convenient and well organized farmer's market - lots of neighborhood parking, easy to reach by public transit and loads of places to stash your bicycle. The vendors that compel me to return to this market - though it is not the closest weekend farmer's market for me - are RawDaddy (super delicious savory cones o'vegan goodness!), Phoenix Pastaficcio and the nice Asian ladies who sell piles of delicious mushrooms.I also adore the musicians who play there - there are usually 2-3 groups of musicians playing along this market with amazingly little auditory overlap - just proving you don't have to be obnoxiously amplified (*ahem* Temescal market!) to provide an enjoyable entertainment experience.

This is a small but lovely organic farmer's market. I might be wrong, but somehow I got the impression that their produce is slightly more expensive than the Tuesday market at Derby and MLK, and the Saturday main market at Center and MLK. Perhaps it's because they are CERTIFIED organic produce, and certification costs money, which falls upon the consumers. Or perhaps it's because of the undeniably exceptional, first-rate quality of their produce. I don't know.Nonetheless, this market has the MOST chill, relaxing and lovely ambience among all three in Berkeley. The North Berkeley Gourmet Ghetto location is wonderful - very tranquil, comforting and peaceful. I especially love to stroll here on a breezy, sunny spring or summer afternoon to buy veggies. It's got a warm neighborly vibe, and there are always toddlers and dogs playing on the grassy strip, musicians playing and people reading or chatting under the sun. Nice people, good vibes...So stop eating canned food and TV dinners and come here! Buy organic veggies. Soak in the lively atmosphere. Cook the vegetable as simply as possible to retain the original organic taste. For example, cook zucchini simply in a hot pan, and dress with just olive oil and vinegar (as opposed to smothering them in batter, deep frying them, and dunking them in heavy sauces). You won't know how DIVINE good-quality organic food taste until you try it.

This farmers' market is all organic, which means it can be a little more expensive. A large heirloom tomato can easily run you $6+, which for our family means that this is just an occasional treat. But if you've got the spare funds, that sun-ripened goodness is worth it! And there are deals to be had. Zucchini and squash tend to be a good price at most booths. At the end of the day, you can often get strawberries two-for-one or some other discount.The market's info stand boasts a fair lot of space for event fliers as well as reusable bags, canteens/water bottles, and t-shirts for sale. The friendly booth staff inform me that for people on food stamps, they have a match program where for every regular dollar token you buy up to $10 (the regular dollar tokens can be spent on anything), you get a free dollar token that can only be spent on fruits and veggies. What a great way to help nourish people!It's a laid-back atmosphere and there's a real sense of community. There's often a fiddler whose music fills the space with a lighthearted, hometown feel. Families eat together on a small plot of grass. We'll keep coming back as long as this market is around, which I hope will be for many, many years to come.

This the best farmers market in the Bay Area because you get to meet real farmers and honest vendors. I will never go to another market because they are bringing the stuff from the Oakland distribution center and selling it as if they are growing the produce. I trust the Ecology Center and all the markets they manage. They are the very best!