Southern California’s enviable weather means even the winter months are good for growing, which means local farmers markets have a bounty of produce to shop all year round.
The county boasts 37 certified farmers markets each week, hosted in parking lots and along streets from north to south.
“We get a wide variety of producers,” said Seth Birenbaum, Orange County’s deputy agricultural commissioner, whose team regularly visits the markets to check up and certify them. “We do have quite a few local Orange County producers. Also from neighboring counties and central valley.”
In 2022 — last year’s report isn’t ready yet — 1,634 acres farmed in Orange County yielded more than 13,000 tons of fruit and berries, and some 16,700 acres produced 8,400 tons of vegetables. A lot of that goes straight to food banks, Birenbaum said, but much of it can also be found in the displays at the local farmers markets, adding to what is farmed across the region.
Kelli Johnson with Farm and Craft Market, the operator of several local farmer markets, said she has been told by farmers that January through April is one of the best times for growing. They “call it first spring,” she said, and it makes the beginning of the year one of the more popular at the markets.
“It is such a great time in the market,” she said. “Everything is so crisp and green.”
The certification process for farmers markets is a statewide program signed into place in 1977 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. It standardized how farmers packed and labeled their produce so they could sell directly to the public without a distributor, and the modern-day farmers market was created.
“You know who the farmer is,” Birenbaum said. “Usually the people there are the farmers.”
To be eligible for state certification, a farmers market has to be operated by a nonprofit, a local government or a certified producer, Birenbaum said. And the farms selling have to be certified producers — once certified in their home location, they can sell elsewhere — with information posted showing their growing grounds and what they produce, which is protection for the consumer but also the other sellers because it shows the farmers aren’t purchasing produce to subsidize their offerings, Birenbaum said.
“The thing about famers markets, if you buy something at the farmers market, it is going to last longer,” Johnson said. “It hasn’t been sitting on a shelf at the grocery store. You can monitor the freshness.”
And all the money goes to the farmer, she added.
“The best way to know what’s in season is to walk through a farmers market,” Johnson said, adding that the growers can often answer questions about how to store and use the produce. “Everybody is trading recipes and ideas for wellness and food preparation.”
Birenbaum said Orange County has one of the larger certified market programs in the state. “For our size of county, there are actually quite a lot of markets.”
Many of the farmers markets also have artisans selling handmade crafts and products, breads, sweets and hot meals. They often have performers and special themes throughout the year.
“They truly are really good community events that provide that opportunity to learn what is grown here. You get to see who is growing your produce and ask questions,” Birenbaum said. “They are very popular events.”
Here is the latest list from the OC Agricultural Commissioner’s Office of the currently certified markets in Orange County. Markets are subject to change because of weather, seasons and other reasons.
Tuesdays:
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Irvine Regional Park, 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange
- 3 to 7 p.m., Placentia Town Center, at Yorba Linda Boulevard and North Kraemer Boulevard
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Seal Beach Village, at Westminster and Seal Beach boulevards
- 5 to 9 p.m., Surf City Nights Downtown Street Fair
Wednesdays:
- 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Fullerton, 340 W. Commonwealth Ave. in parking lot behind community center
- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Irvine Kaiser Permanente, 6640 Alton Parkway
- 4 to 8 p.m., Lake Forest, 28000 Rancho Parkway
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Old Town Tustin, at 3rd Street and El Camino Real
Thursdays:
- 3 to 7 p.m., Brea, 133 S. State College Blvd. (closed for the season)
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Costa Mesa, at OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive
- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Downtown Anaheim, 205 Center Street Promenade
- 4 to 8:30 p.m., Fullerton downtown, 121 E. Wilshire Ave. (closed for season)
- 4 to 7 p.m., Rossmoor, 3001 Blume Drive
Fridays:
- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Anaheim Kaiser Permanente, 3440 E. La Palma Ave.
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Farmakis Farms, 29932 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Laguna Hills, El Toro Rd and Avenida De La Carlota
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mile Square Park, 16801 Euclid Street, Fountain Valley
Saturdays:
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Aliso Viejo, 26701 Aliso Creek Road, in the lot near the theater
- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Buena Park, at La Palma and Stanton Avenues
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Corona Del Mar, Marguerite Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cypress, Cottonwood Church parking lot at Katella and Lexington avenues
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Dana Point, at Pacific Coast Highway and Golden Lantern
- 8 a.m. to noon, Irvine, in the Mariners Church parking lot, Bonita Canyon and Turtle Ridge
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Orange Homegrown, 303 W. Palm Ave.
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mission Viejo, at the North Paseo, 25282 Marguerite Parkway
- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Costa Mesa, at SoCo, 3315 Hyland Ave.
- 8 a.m. to noon, Laguna Beach, 521 Forest Ave.
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., first Saturday of the month only, Farmers Market on the Ranch, 2 Tierno St., Rancho Mission Viejo
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting March 9, Yorba Linda Friends Church, 5091 Mountain View Ave.
Sundays:
- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Irvine Great Park, Sand Canyon Road and Marine Way
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ladera Ranch, 28275 Avendale Blvd.
- 8 a.m. to noon, Laguna Niguel, 27241 La Paz Road
- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Garden Grove, on Historic Main Street at Garden Grove Blvd.
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Newport Beach, base of the Newport Pier in McFadden Square
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., San Clemente Village, Avenida Del Mar and Calle Seville
- 5 to 9 p.m., Santa Ana, Tianguis at 325 E. 4th St.
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tustin District, 2243 Park Ave.