Berkeley Farmers’ Markets

See what’s Ripe Now! at the Markets.

The Ecology Center Farmers’ Markets are open-air marketplaces where California farmers bring fresh, locally-grown produce and farm-processed foods to sell directly to consumers. Our markets feature fruits, vegetables, nuts, baked goods, jams and preserves, juices, olive oils, meat, cheese, prepared foods, nursery plants, and flowers. We are committed to supporting small-scale farmers who practice sustainable agriculture. In addition, we always accept CalFresh EBT and WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) checks, and offer Market Match at each of our markets.

Want to know what’s cooking at the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets? Sign up for our biweekly newsletter, Ripe Now! to find market updates as well as tips on what’s in season and how to cook it!

Hours and Locations:

Saturdays 10 am – 3 pm
year-round
Thursdays 3 pm – 7 pm
year-round
Tuesdays 2 pm – 6:30 pm
year-round

 

 

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Why should I shop at a Farmers’ Market when my supermarket sells organic, and sometimes even local food?

While some grocery stores do carry a small number of local and organic products, most cannot equal farmers markets in the variety and quality of local foods, let alone guarantee farmers a fair price. In 2017, American farmers receive only 17.4 cents of every dollar American’s spent on food. At farmers markets, farmers head home with upwards of 90 cents on the dollar. Shopping at a farmers market is also a wholly unique experience where farmers and shoppers get to know each other, do business, and help each other.  Meeting friends and neighbors at the farmers market while shopping and supporting local businesses is just fun. When was the last time you told your friends to meet you in the aisle of a grocery store?

How does shopping at a farmers market help my local economy?

Farmers markets generate business, and business creates jobs. A 2011 Economic Research Service report found that fruit and vegetable farms selling into local and regional markets employ 13 full-time workers per $1 million in revenue earned. Comparatively, fruit and vegetable farms that are not selling locally employed only three full-time workers per $1 million in revenue.

Farmers markets also bring business to neighboring stores and communities where the market is located. Spending money at farmers markets keeps your money in circulation within the local community, preserving and creating local jobs. A 2010 study of the Easton Farmers Market in Pennsylvania, for example, found that 70% of farmers market customers are also shopping at downtown businesses, spending up to an extra $26,000 each week. This is very different from many major grocery stores where a large percentage of sales leave the community, and possibly even the state or the region. A Virginia Cooperative Extension report showed if households in Southern Virginia spent 15 percent of their weekly food budget on locally grown food products, $90 million in new farm income would be created for the region.

STAY INFORMED! Get RIPE NOW! our e-newsletter & stay up to speed with market changes, products, and vendors.

WE ARE SEEKING VOLUNTEERS! We need volunteers to make every market happen. If you are healthy, not in the high risk category, and not living with high risk people, please consider volunteering at our three weekly farmers’ markets. See details on opportunities and submit application here.

PLEASE DONATE! Your contributions make the farmers’ market possible. Type “farmers’ market” in the Notes so we know it’s for the farmers’ market program. Donate today.

Follow this link to learn which of our vendors provide CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes and pre-orders.

If you have a disability that prevents you from waiting in line at the farmers’ market, please pop by the info booth for an Accessibility Fast Pass, or contact farmersmarkets@ecologycenter.org.


 

CONTACT US


Phone: 510-548-3333
Email: farmersmarkets@ecologycenter.org
Mailing Address: 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702

2024 HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

2024 Holiday Schedule

The Berkeley Farmers’ Markets will not operate on the following dates:

Thursday, July 4
Thursday, November 28
Tuesday, December 24
Thursday, December 26
Saturday, December 28
Tuesday, December 31

The last market of the year will be Saturday, December 23, 2023. Markets will resume a normal schedule on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.


CALFRESH EBT & MARKET MATCH AT THE FARMERS' MARKETS


We always accept CalFresh EBT at our farmers’ markets. Customers who have CalFresh EBT can also receive a dollar-for-dollar match up to $10 at any of the Ecology Center farmers’ markets with Market Match. Market Match is California’s healthy food incentive program, which matches customers’ nutrition assistance benefits (CalFresh), at farmers’ markets. When people use their benefits at farmers’ markets, Market Match provides matching funds so that they can buy even more fruits and vegetables. For example, a shopper who wishes to spend $10 of CalFresh benefits at the farmers’ markets gets an extra $10 to spend on fresh produce. For more information, visit the farmers’ market information booth and ask about Market Match.

The Ecology Center assists farmers’ market operators and community partners in establishing, implementing, and promoting CalFresh EBT access, and works with partners statewide to offer Market Match. Click here to read more about our statewide Farmers’ Market EBT Program. Click here to read more about the statewide Market Match program.


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MAP OF MARKET LOCATIONS


View Berkeley Farmers’ Markets in a larger map