Saturdays and Sundays, scattered across San Francisco and the broader Bay Area, farmers markets run year-round at locations including the Ferry Building (Saturdays, 8am–2pm, Embarcadero BART), Civic Center (Sundays and Wednesdays, 7am–5:30pm, Civic Center BART), and the Alemany Farmers' Market (Saturdays, 6am–3pm, off 101 at Cesar Chavez — cash only, bring a bag). The East Bay adds options: Grand Lake in Oakland runs Saturdays 9am–2pm near the 19th Street BART corridor, and Temescal goes Sundays 9am–2pm on Telegraph. Most markets are free to enter; costs are whatever you spend at the stalls.

The Ferry Building market remains the anchor — about 100 vendors, strong citrus in winter, stone fruit in summer, and a reliable mushroom guy near the south end of the building. Alemany is the working-market alternative: less scene, lower prices, more volume. If you're stocking a kitchen rather than photographing a cheese board, Alemany is the call. Grand Lake has the best prepared-food row if you're eating on-site rather than shopping to cook.

Practical notes: the Ferry Building garage fills fast by 9:30am on Saturdays — take BART or budget 15 minutes to circle. Alemany has a dedicated lot that actually works. Most vendors are cash-preferred but card-capable; a few smaller stands are cash only. No age restrictions anywhere, dogs welcome at most locations on leash.

If you have two hours on a Saturday morning: Ferry Building at 8am, walk the full row before it crowds, buy whatever looks best from the produce stalls near the north entrance, then grab a coffee from Blue Bottle inside and you're out before the tourist wave hits around 10.