When I’m in San Francisco, I can’t wait to get to the Ferry Building Marketplace, especially on a day when the farmers' market on the plaza is in full swing. This showcase for local, artisan and organic foods is a shining jewel in the crown of the sustainable agriculture and Slow Food movements. There’s a joyful spirit of community, a true connection to where food comes from, and all the abundance and pleasure that the creative cultivation of nature can provide, in a postcard setting by the Bay.

North of the city in Napa, the Oxbow Public Market has just opened to showcase local and artisan foods from the North Bay. In Seattle, there’s the century-old Pike Place Market. While not every city has a year-round public artisan foods market, there are seasonal farmers markets everywhere now; in 1994, America had 1,755 markets, and in 2006 there were 4,385 in both urban and rural areas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Find the markets in your state at LocalHarvest.org or at this USDA directory site and get ready for opening day!

Image: Peacenik1