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Where can you find just-picked sunflowers and strawberries or freshly baked Danish pastry and Peruvian alfajores cookies? What if you crave sweet red cherries or need fava beans for a recipe? And when was the last time you saw blue-raspberry kettle corn?
The Pleasanton Farmers Market offers these items and much more year-round on Saturday. An array of producers set up their stalls along West Angela Street between Main and First streets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ready to peruse the produce, healthy granola, and decadent croissants, customers arrive armed with baskets and bags while others pull wagons or push strollers.
“We find the best products here. Though we get groceries elsewhere, every week we buy seasonal produce, berries and Bernal Bakery bread here,” said Kira Gardner, who moved to Pleasanton in 2023.
With her $5 weekly allowance in hand and accompanied by her mom, 8-year-old Lyra likes to shop at Passion Pastry. She receives the free sample of a miniature alfajor cookie and then she buys sugar cookies or a marshmallow stick such as green-tinted one evoking Creeper, a Minecraft game character.
Lyra’s mom noted that the family’s Saturday morning activity is exploring the downtown market. She bought Zuckerman Farm plump asparagus on the recommendation of staff at Pleasanton’s Sabio restaurant where she enjoyed them.
Recently a young boy grew impatient while waiting in a lengthy line at the Medina Berry Farm stall and demanded a lollipop from his father. His dad said loudly, “Strawberries are nature’s lollipop.”
Offering the public the opportunity to learn about nature’s bounty while creating opportunities for farmers to sell their fresh produce directly to consumers are the key missions of the nonprofit Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association that operates farmers markets in Pleasanton, Danville and Dublin.
As one of the oldest and largest market associations on the West Coast, PCFMA manages 35 markets in six counties. The inaugural Pleasanton market, launched by PCFMA in 1992, has grown into the association’s largest Tri-Valley market. Forager’s Market operates the year-round San Ramon market, the seasonal Livermore Thursday night and large, year-round Livermore Sunday markets.
A downtown community market
The Pleasanton market blooms from 1,000 visitors and 50 stalls a week to 2,000 visitors and 70 stalls during peak summer months. Many producers occupy one stall, but larger farms request up to three stalls.
The market features California-grown agriculture products and other agricultural-driven foods like cheese and jam. About 30% of producers sell locally prepared foods or artisan items.
“We’ve grown with Pleasanton and brought new offerings to the market reflecting changes within the community,” said Chris Ball, assistant director of marketing for PCFMA, based in Concord. The prepared food producers present a panoply of flavors from Afghan flatbreads to globally inspired empanadas, tamales and spicy hummus.
Unlike other Tri-Valley farmers markets, the only hot food items prepared onsite are Eat the Best Kettle Korn and Roti-Roti Gourmet spit-roasted chicken. The small number of hot food stalls compared to other Tri-Valley markets is related to PCFMA’s partnership with the Pleasanton Downtown Association.
“Our downtown businesses, both restaurants and retailers, have seen an increase in business when the market takes place. People grab a coffee and stroll through the market or have brunch with friends afterward,” said Gabrielle Welk, executive director of the PDA.
Jon Magnusson, chef-owner of Nonni’s Bistro on Main Street near the market, said Saturday mornings are his favorite time of the week: “I shop early to get specialty items like baby squash, and then I see customers arrive with kale sticking out of shopping bags.”
The PCFMA arrangement includes allocation of three community-oriented stalls selected by PDA on a weekly basis. These stalls may feature nonprofit groups such as youth sports and Culinary Angels, the police department promoting kids’ safety, or local businesses.
An example of a hyper-local business that periodically reserves a stall is Lizush, which makes natural bath and beauty care products by hand in Pleasanton. This weekend, owner Lizzy Siman-Tov’s will display Mother’s Day-targeted items such as lavender shea butter body cream.
When asked what makes the Pleasanton market unique, Hall from PCFMA said, “As a mainstay in the Pleasanton community for over 30 years, we have vendors who have been with us since the beginning, and children who helped their parents at the market now head up the business.”
Pleasanton native Ally Ballard grew up attending the market every Saturday with her father.
“We always picked out the best mushrooms. Mom hated mushrooms, but we loved them. I’m visiting my parents from Colorado and had to buy mushrooms today,” she said.
Ballard also posed for a caricature made by John Pearson, who periodically sets up his easel on the street.
Over time, longstanding year-round producers have claimed their favored locations, as Cheyenne Erickson, PCFMA regional manager, noted: “Producers who vie for the best stalls know that someone must pass away, or a business must close shop before the prime spots open.”
Longtime producers
Arturo Medina began selling their Watsonville strawberries from Medina Berry Farm when the market opened in 1992. His nephew Jésus Medina is now the proud owner. During chilly March or sunny springtime, often the longest market lines blossom at Medina’s for strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.
As customers choose between daffodils and dahlias, José Villafana often greets them by name along with a hearty, good morning at José’s Flowers.
“My parents started coming to the market in 2005 when they started their flower business,” Villafana said. “This market has become an important outlet for us. Our regulars show up rain or shine and are friends of sorts.” Villafana now owns the business.
When Juan Bermudez turned 15, he began working at Borba Family Farm in Aromas. Now married with three children, Bermudez has driven 90 minutes each way since Borba joined the market in 2000. A colorful, long row of green beans, cucumbers and tomatoes grab customers’ attention at Borba.
“I look forward to coming every Saturday to Pleasanton,” said Jésus Moreno Calderon of Swank Farms Produce, strategically located next to Eat the Best Kettle Korn. For 25 years, Calderon has driven from Hollister to sell their broccoli, heirloom tomatoes, and cauliflower.
Newer producers
Arriving at the Pleasanton market in mid-April, Obour Foods of San Francisco attends 14 others in the region. Obour’s specialties are tahini and hummus in flavors ranging from red beet to hot curry, spicy zhong and a Korean-inflected gochujang version.
Matt Sylvester, owner of Happy Acre Farm in Sunol, shops at Obour and recently purchased savory, house made pita chips and hot curry hummus for his wife.
Super Duper Microgreens owner Oliver Gayo set up his first biweekly stall at the market in 2023. In contrast to microgreens shipped into grocery stores, Gayo said, “Our blends such as Leafy Boost, a mix of arugula, kohlrabi, and cress microgreens, are harvested in Hercules the day before the market.”
Producers near and far
The average travel time for producers hovers between 45 minutes and 90 minutes.
Driving from Pittsburg, Dahn Bey manages the Way to Life Foods granola stall. With flavors ranging from maple to mixed berry and sugar-free banana, the family-run granola business launched in 2008.
“Out of the 16 farmers markets we attend, Pleasanton is one of the busiest,” Bey said, “and the staff do not uproot our stall to different spots like others do. Our regulars know where to find us.”
In contrast, Kong Lee leaves Ken’s Top Notch Produce farm in Fresno at 5:30 a.m. to arrive by 8:45 a.m. to unload produce picked a day or two earlier. The drive to bring his brother Ken’s produce to the market is just part of the job of delivering citrus, peaches and nectarines, according to Lee.
Local businesses include Passion Pastry launched by Sofia Orozco in 2009. The Peruvian specialty bakery joined the market in 2013 and opened a shop and baking facility 1.3 miles from the market.
Olivina Extra Virgin Olive Oil is located near Wente Vineyards off Arroyo Road in Livermore. First planted in 1881 by a Frenchman, the storied Olivina estate joined the market over two decades ago. The fifth-generation family now sells seven EVOOs and two vinegars.
Sabio chef-de-cuisine Tim McLellan parks his wagon at Olivina to periodically buy 5-gallon containers of Mission EVOO for salad dressings, finishing dishes, and polenta cake at Sabio and Crush’d in Danville.
A Saturday institution
The market hosts Bay Area musicians. Acoustic guitarist Andy Drake played his original folk-inspired songs for the first time in April.
“The location on a slight rise in the middle of the stalls is ideal, people were friendly, and I got the sense the community supports the market,” Drake said.
Main Street sprouts with regulars popping up in the market corridor and along the sidewalk. Magnusson of Nonni’s Bistro prepares a big white pot full of fresh soup, sets it on a table outside the door, and offers samples for shoppers and others strolling.
Norm Pacheco has sold handmade Norm’s Wood carvings for 15 years on Main Street at the edge of the stalls. “I am the unofficial information booth for the market,” Pacheco said. “People regularly ask me when the market closes.”
During a final stroll through the market, surprises abound. Near closing time, half-flats of ripe strawberries may be available at lower prices, and new products from ube alfajores to rare blue-raspberry kettle corn await a trial.
Market news
PCFMA hosts special market events throughout the year from concerts by local bands to children’s programs. For kids 12 and under on Saturdays in May, the market will host Power of Produce (POP) events that nourish their sense of fun and knowledge about produce.
May 10 – Play Produce Detective: Test your palate and use your detective skills to find what produce came fresh-picked from farms at the market or bought at the grocery store that may have spent days in transit or in a warehouse.
May 17 – Join the Scavenger Hunt: Scour the market stalls for clues to find where the Market Mascot is hiding.
May 24 – Make Your Own Market Bag: Decorate a bag with fruit and vegetable stamps and then shop with it.
May 31 – Seed Planting: The POP Club invites you to plant seedlings in a paper cup filled with soil to take home for your garden.
The association website at pcfma.org offers the latest news on What’s in Season, Farmer Profiles and Recipes linked to the season and accompanied by practical notes on “How to Select and Store” the produce. The market information table stocks copies of recipes such as Smashed Fava Beans with Mint, Strawberry Chard Salad, and Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese.
Memories at the market
After visiting the market over the years, memorable times stand out. In 2000, a young family member made his first trip to California. He was gobsmacked at the humongous West Coast highway interchanges and big muscle cars.
At the market, he marveled at the large heirloom tomatoes, giant stalks of kale, and extra-large bags of kettle corn. That sweet-salty snack accompanied him during our road trips to San Francisco and the coast.
Now he is a father of six kids, and his eldest daughter visited Pleasanton on her own two years ago. She enjoyed our market foray, insatiable for the strawberries we purchased. Unfortunately, blue-raspberry, her favorite flavor combo, had yet to appear at Eat the Best Kettle Korn.
During her visit, I showed her my first article for the Pleasanton Weekly, a cover story about the Farmers Market in 2000. She was not surprised by my choice of topics to pitch for that first story.
Around 2006, my healthy husband and I fell in love with Feel Good Bakery’s gluten-free, oversized Nina cookies. Packed with chocolate, walnut, and a touch of espresso, the Ninas were our Saturday breakfast treat.
I would then walk down the street to deliver several to my pregnant neighbor who was always hungry for chocolate. Fast forward to my friend’s move to France, and then the post-Covid years, when the owner died suddenly. We missed Ninas.
Before my friend’s visit last fall, I brought her Medina strawberries to enjoy at their B&B. The Saturday after she left, lo and behold, Feel Good Bakery was back under new ownership — with Ninas. We immediately texted our friend a photo, and she shared our pleasure in this minor miracle.
May 10 at the Farmers Market — Stop and listen to the Pleasanton Community Concert Band from 9am to Noon! 🙂
Love this article and learning about the vendors that have been around for so long. For the past thirty years my husband and I have enjoyed visiting the market most Saturdays when we are in town. And we look forward to future visits.