12/29/07

Art of the Falafel Catering at Heart of the City Farmers Market

by susan555

The Heart of the City Farmers Market on Wednesays and Sundays is wonderful. There are a lot of great bargains on Vegetables, Fruits, and Flowers as well as good falafels at one stand. The falafels at Art of the Falafel Catering are cooked right there and are delicious. I have had a lot of them, and these are some of the best I have ever tasted.

09/09/07

Great Produce and Fish, Done Dirt Cheap

by yardena

I love the Ferry Plaza farmer's market and I go there every Saturday for the Acme bread, Golden Gate meats, avocados, the Brentwood corn (in summer), and the Ciao Bello Valrhoma or Scharffenberger chocolate gelato (when I go late enough). But on Sunday mornings I get up early and head to the Civic Center for my real produce shopping.

Tomatoes cost a third of what they do at the Ferry Plaza, lettuce and most other greens and fruit no more than half. If I'm willing to gut, scale and clean my own fresh fish (and I am), it goes for half of what Whole Foods or the fish guys at the Ferry Plaza charge, and if you're into fish or shellfish, you'd be doing the cleaning anyway.

The produce is mostly just fine--I mean, come on people, eggplant is eggplant. The fish has never disappointed. And most weekends I find lemons for 25 cents, so if they're a bit smaller and more beat up than the ones going for 3 for $2 at the Ferry Plaza, well, I can live with that.

Yes, the area is a bit funky (but never dangerous-feeling), and you don't get the variety the Ferry Plaza offers (the farmers are more local) but so what? I'm heading there right now.

• Pros: Great deals on produce, fish, and a few other items.
• Cons: Area is funky, with Tenderloin transients lurking about; selection is moderate.

06/13/02

Bargains aplenty and no yuppies

by peterbehle_citysearch

This is the real deal -- and the complete opposite of the farmer's market by the Ferry Building. You won't find 36 varieties of colored asparagus here, but you will find tons of produce and seafood at bargain prices. There's nothing fancy, just the goods. Be sure to bring a backpack or wagon or cart to haul off your purchases.

• Pros: Bargain prices
• Cons: Not the cleanest area