We absolutely love the seasonal weekend Farmers’ Markets that have so successfully proliferated in recent years. From frosty, Northern cities like Buffalo and Fargo, to the mild climes of Phoenix and Tallahassee, Farmers’ Markets have simply become part of the natural fabric of modern urban life. They’ve provided new income streams for farmers and artisan producers as well as healthy food-shopping options for consumers. But, for now, we will pay minimal attention to these great places.The world of Farmers’ Markets is constantly changing, with hundreds of them coming on board or moving each year. It’s estimated that there are over 5000 Farmers Markets in the US alone, with over 100 just in the Los Angeles area.

On this site we’ve provided access to a database of these markets (from the U.S. Department of Agriculture) but we’ve decided to not attempt any sort of comprehensive coverage of this huge and fluid sector of the marketplace.

Some of these Farmers’ Markets have evolved in to places that are so stable and permanent that we must include them in the world of year-round Public Markets (think: Union Square Greenmarket in New York City, or the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market in California). And many Farmers’ Markets are engaged in the process of testing the viability of a more permanent, bricks-and-mortar Public Market that might be its future incarnation. But we leave it to your local municipalities and fresh-food advocates to keep you informed and involved with your local Farmers’ Markets.

In many countries outside the U.S. and Canada, the Public Markets often resemble our own Farmers’ Markets in that they might be mostly outdoors and the merchants’ stands can be far from permanent. But they’re there year-round, several days a week, with a historical permanence that might go back hundreds of years. These places are where the people shop, and we embrace them in the family of Public Markets.