Best LA Farmers Markets and How to Get the Most Out of Your Visit

The Best LA Farmers Market is, honestly, the one most convenient to you so that you actually go. But "best" is a matter of opinion, and I am nothing if not highly opinionated about what's best in terms of convenience, variety and availability of produce, and, of all things, parking. These are my favorite markets for whatever specific reasons. Shall we get into it?

Explore More

• Visiting the Farmers Markets
• Best Farmers Market Near Me (by Neighborhood)
• Best Farmers Markets by Day of the Week

Visiting the Farmers Markets

Way back at the beginning of the beginning, I set myself out on a mad mission. At the risk of losing my job, losing my friends, losing my sanity, I decided to visit a different LA farmers market every day of the week. And because I really love/hate myself, I challenged myself to cook with a vegetable that is fairly new to me from each market.

Well, I didn't lose my job, at least not because of farmers' markets, and I still have some friends, at least the ones that I didn't drag to the market on a Saturday morning with me. And my sanity? Well, I've been crazy all along. But I'd have to say that it was an exciting, exhilarating, inspiring experience.

I had a very conservative, chained-to-my-desk-from-7-to-7-at-the-earliest day job, so it was ridiculously fun to pick out a market from the list and plot out a strategy to get away for an hour or two each week day. Weekday markets usually open at 9 and end by early afternoon, so either I galloped in at full speed pink-cheeked and wind-blown two hours late, mumbling about the 405 freeway (the only time I am ever thankful for LA traffic is when I can use it as an excuse), or would "take lunch" at some absurd hour like 9:30 am. You know, because, ummm, well, I got up early and had breakfast at 4 am, okay? Okay.

I never got a chance to put together a thoughtful summary after that week of "stalking the markets." Each individual journal entry is fairly long, with cursing of traffic trying to get there, lamenting the lack of parking, and of course, describing the markets, each one with its own peculiar personality. There are lots of vibrant pictures of seasonal produce, which at the time, were lots of citrus, early cherries, and tender baby vegetables.

Admittedly, I didn't quite succeed as well on the second part of my challenge of cooking with a new vegetable each day. I just could not bring myself to pass up perennial favorites like avocadoes and asparagus, which I use all the time, but will never tire of. Perhaps the most "exotic" vegetable was the artichoke, which, again, I eat a lot, but have never actually cooked fresh. I know. Yes, yes, up until then, I was using canned artichoke hearts. The horror!

Best Farmers Market Near Me (by Neighborhood)

This was never meant to be a competitive assessment to find the best farmers market. There really is no "best" farmers market, as each one truly has a character of its own, and appeals to different people accordingly. But in the end, I still have to say that my favorite market is the one that I've been going to all along: Saturday mornings on Arizona Street in Santa Monica. It's wonderful to wake up slightly hungover with the promise of the sobering breeze of the Pacific Ocean and a few refreshing oranges. I am not bothered by the lively chaos so early in the morning. It wakes me up so that I can pay respectful attention to the beekeeper as he talks about his wildflower honey or pick carefully through a basket of shiitake mushrooms. I could stay there until the vendors pull down their tents.

Best Farmers Markets on the Westside

Santa Monica, Wednesday and Saturday, 8 am - 1pm, Arizona Ave. and 2nd St., easy parking in surrounding parking structures.

Favorite vendors to look out for:

• Harry's Berries for the BEST, sweetest strawberries, go there first because they sell out
• JJ's Lone Daughter Ranch for citrus and perfect, richest, butteriest, absolutely-worth-it avocados, and cool, niche varieties that you might never have heard of!
• The Garden of for the most beautiful head lettuces that look like flowers
• Weiser Farms for their other-worldly melons that the New York Times wrote about

Mar Vista, Sunday

Brentwood, Sunday 9 am - 2 pm, 741 Gretna Green Way, street parking, kinda hard to find, you just have to circle until you get lucky

Best Recipes with Farmers Market Strawberries

Best Farmers Market in the South Bay

Torrance, Tuesday and Saturday 8 am - 1 pm, Wilson Park

Best Farmers Market in Central LA

Hollywood, Sunday 8 am - 1 pm, Selma Ave. and Ivar Ave., street parking on surrounding streets

Best Farmers Markets on the Eastside

Atwater Village Market, Sunday 9 am - 2 pm, 3528 Larga Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Pasadena Certified Farmers Market at Victory Park, Saturday 8 am - 12:30 pm, 2900 E Sierra Madre Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107

Silver Lake, Saturday, 8 am - 1:30 pm, Sunset Triangle Plaza, 1500 Griffith Park Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Admittedly, I have not explored the farmers markets beyond Hollywood to the East. However, these are the markets on my list to explore in the next few:

Best Farmers Markets by Day of the Week

Best Farmers Markets on Saturday

Santa Monica

Torrance

Best Farmers Markets on Sunday

Hollywood

Brentwood

Beverly Hills

Mar Vista

Best Farmers Market on Monday

Best Farmers Market on Tuesday

Culver City

Torrance

Best Farmers Market on Wednesday

Santa Monica

Best Farmers Market on Thursday

Westwood

Best Farmers Market on Friday

Venice

So that's the brief summary of each market and what I made - not very thoughtful, but pretty in pictures! It's summer now, and I think I have another honey bee in my bonnet to do the same thing again - with fruit! Hopefully my Boss will never catch on...