Posted by Founder, Bicycling Monterey
Monterey County Farmers Market Locations
Bicycling Monterey’s Tips for Bicycling Monterey County 20-section guide for visitors and residents, first published in 2009, includes a section “Bike to Monterey County Farmers Markets.”
Do you have questions not answered on the websites below? Phone numbers and names for market managers are provided on the California Department of Food and Agriculture website. The CDFA’s most recently published list, as of May 9, 2023, is dated January 3, 2023: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/docs/CurrentMrktsCounty.pdf; for later CDFA updates, check their webpage: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/i_&_c/cfm.html.
- Everyone’s Harvest / https://www.everyonesharvest.org (history: https://www.everyonesharvest.org/our-history/) – Everyone’s Harvest market locations include these in Salinas—the Alisal, Natividad Medical Center, and Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital; a Marina market; and one in Pacific Grove. Their Seaside market will begin again on Thursday, June 15, 2023; that market will be Thursdays 3-7 p.m. at Laguna Grande Park. Check Everyone’s Harvest website for updated info for Seaside soon, and for any other updates about their markets.
[Update, Summer Solstice 2024: Monterey County Now (formerly Monterey County Weekly) editor Sara Rubin wrote about Everyone’s Harvest in “Happy birthday to the Seaside farmers market” https://www.montereycountynow.com/opinion/mcnow_intro/happy-birthday-to-the-seaside-farmers-market/article_43f4ebc8-2f66-11ef-90ea-ebd6e2cb571a.html.] - Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets / https://montereybayfarmers.org (about: https://montereybayfarmers.org/about-us) – MBCFM locations in Monterey County include Carmel; and Monterey, at the Del Monte Shopping Center—year-round on Fridays and seasonally on Sundays. (The longstanding Monterey Farmers Market at Monterey Peninsula College moved to Del Monte Center due to the pandemic; check with Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets for any updates.)
- West Coast Farmers Markets / https://www.wcfma.org (FAQs, e.g., re certification https://www.wcfma.org/vendors) – WCFM locations in Monterey County include Carmel Valley; and in Salinas, the market in Oldtown / Salinas City Center.
- More Monterey County certified farmers markets: Additional farmers markets are on the County of Monterey Agricultural Commissioner’s list of Certified Farmers Markets (last updated December 2022, as of May 9, 2023). They include: CSUMB (seasonally), Carmel-by-the-Sea, Moss Landing, and Soledad. (The County’s list also includes listings for the Everyone’s Harvest, MBCFM, and WCFM locations mentioned above.) https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/agricultural-commissioner/fruits-vegetables/certified-farmers-markets.
Note: The Monterey County Farm Bureau website includes a list of farmers markets in the county, which they will be updating. (It listed a King City market; however, we confirmed with a King City official that there isn’t currently a King City farmers market, as of 4/28/23. King City leaders do hope to have a farmers market in the future.) https://montereycfb.com/farmers-markets/
You may also be curious about the following, which are not certified farmers markets but do have some fresh produce:
- In Greenfield, a seasonal market with some fresh produce, alongside other food and a variety of items: Market at the Gazebo, 98 South El Camino Real, Greenfield, Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. This seasonal market in 2023 is scheduled to continue through November 4. For any updates, contact Silqa Saavedra, seasonal market coordinator at City of Greenfield; email preferred, ssaavedra@ci.greenfield.ca.us (or if unable to email, phone 831.320.0359).
- In Salinas, a year-round flea market with some fresh produce (typically one to four farmer vendors), alongside other items: El Mercado Popular at Salinas Sports Complex, 1034 N. Main Street, Salinas, from 3 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. (till 10 p.m. in summer) on most Fridays (except cancelled during big events at the complex, e.g., California Rodeo week, or when heavy rain or other exceptional circumstances cancel this flea market for that Friday). For any updates, contact flea market manager Diane Jimenez, 831.539.7068 or market owner Patricia Rodriguez.
Go to “Bike to Monterey County Farmers Markets“ for more tips, e.g., how to market by bike, how to store produce without plastic, info on organically grown food, and more.
This post was published on 28 April 2023. One or more changes last made to this post on 20 June 2024.