About 30 miles northeast of downtown Sonoma, through rolling ranchland, to the Sebastopol Farmers' Market in the town of Sebastopol. Nicknamed Sonoma County’s Groovy Zen Kaleidoscopic Farmers' Market, the Sunday-morning year-round affair, held in the sun-dappled Sebastopol Plaza (see the market’s site for a map), has a reputation as embodying a certain hippie spirit, and is always jazzed up with live music and plenty of prepared foods for noshing. Some of the best growers and food producers set up shop, presenting beautiful fruits, vegetables, flowers, homemade pasta, and artisanal foods. There are fresh pies and loaves; vegan and gluten-free items are plentiful. Woodleaf Farm, one of the oldest organic farms in California, has heavenly peaches; and Middleton Farm's strawberries are so sweet, you'll swear they were dipped first in jam.
As you’d expect at a morning market, there are local coffee roasters and pressed juice purveyors, but you can also imbibe aguas frescas, lassis, chai, herbal tonics, a Mayan chocolate elixir, and even bone broths from The Bone Broth Company.
Another item any visitor to the Sebastopol Farmers' Market should keep an eye out for is Gravenstein apples. If you’re visiting during the summer, sample one of these red-speckled beauties while you can; they are much harder to find outside of Sonoma County because their thin skins make them difficult to ship without bruising.
Despite its Sonoma County location, wine does not have much of a presence at the farmers' market. While you’re in the area, be sure to set aside time to visit some of the many small-production vineyards and wineries of the area, like Kosta Browne, Dutton Estate Winery, and Iron Horse. Pinot Noir is a frequent headliner at vineyards in these parts, along with Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvingnon.
If one farmers' market isn’t enough, there are more in nearby Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Occidental, and Healdsburg.
