Like dinner at Madcap, browsing the SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market has long on my list of things to do. I blame Anthony Bourdain for this one. And, as was the case with Madcap, I finally got to pay the market a visit during this past trip!
As the market’s name suggests, the SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is at the SF Ferry Building Market. In fact, when booking hotels for this trip, I limited my search to properties within easy walking distance of the Ferry Building specifically so we could easily visit the farmers market. Naturally, the 1 Hotel SF ended up being the PERFECT hotel for this. Especially since I lost my Hyatt Explorist status, and Chase The Edit granted me free 1 pm late checkout at the 1 Hotel.
SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
Because we were on a timeframe and wanted to get lunch in the Ferry Market, we got to there shortly after opening. This was a good move, as the market was calm and empty. However, not all of the vendors were ready at that time. No big, we dimply walked around to see who was there and what was available. The cool, foggy atmosphere also added to the feeling of tranquility.
Unlike the popular farmers markets in Honolulu, the SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market actually has a lot of, well, farmers selling produce versus prepared food vendors. Don’t get me wrong. They have those, too, which was great! But I loved seeing all of the different types of produce available there, along with manufacturers selling locally made speciality products.
Speaking of produce, I’ve never seen torpedo onions before – lower right corner of the photo.
Likewise, I’ve never seen carrots this large before.
These strawberries were everywhere, too, but they were nothing special.
My SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market Favorites
While there are a lot of interesting vendors at the farmers market, and we didn’t get to check them all out. However, there are several vendors we fell in love with. First up is Cap’n Mike’s Holy Smoke, which is a smoked fish vendor. There were a lot of interesting things to try, including smoked sablefish (butterfish), but we opted to try their classic smoked king salmon.
The salmon was incredible. It’s meaty, luscious, clean, and smoke. But, man, those tomatoes on top? Juicy, umami bombs. So good! If I ever want to splurge on high-quality smoked fish, I’ll definitely look at placing an order with them.
Next up was a miso producer called Aedan Fermented Foods. They had a variety of things on offer, including miso and shio koji. Curious, we bought some musubis and gave their miso a try. It’s good stuff! At $40 a pound, it’s much more expensive than what you’d find at a Japanese grocer, but the flavor is also more deep and complex. While we couldn’t bring any home with us, you can order from them online.
One vendor we did buy stuff to bring home from was Mill Valley Pasta. These guys specialize in producing high-quality, bronze-die pastas. However, they also like to, in their words, make good-quality versions of “white trash classics.” Their mac & cheese mix, for example, is incredible, as are their pastas. We even ordered from them after returning home. Oh, and don’t let the shapes fool you. This pasta is one of the best I’ve had.
Last up is Blossom Bluff Orchards, which sells fresh and dried fruits. Now, I’m not a huge dry fruit person, but they had something called Honey Rich that piqued my interest. If I recall correctly, this is an apricot-plum hybrid that leans more apricot and has a rich, tart/sweet flavor to it. It was heavenly!
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed myself at the SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. It is now one of my must-do’s when I’m in the city on a Saturday morning, and will likely drive me to stay in the area again. I just wish I had more time here. Though, at the same time, by the time we were leaving around 11 am, the area was incredibly busy! So, I’ll be sure to keep visiting as early in the morning as possible.
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