[Photographs: Jennifer Maiser]

The Healdsburg Farmers' Market, located about 70 miles north of San Francisco, is a bustling, medium-sized market in a small wine-country town. Whereas farmers' markets advertise vendors who are within 50 miles or so of a market, many of the Healdsburg Market vendors are local, very local. Most of the vendors grow their vegetables right in Healdsburg.

For a relatively small town that is centered around wine-country tourism, the Saturday Healdsburg Market is a good size, and is well-supported by locals.

Many of the Healdsburg vendors are quite small and grow on plots of five acres or so. Farmers bring smaller yields but of a large variety. At one booth, they were selling about 10 varietals of garlic (!). At another, a basket was holding only two eggplants. This market has a strong community vibe, and is worth a trip anytime you're in Sonoma County.

One highlight if you're hungry right then and there is the hot food from Mateo Granados. He's a Yucatan-born chef who makes delicious meals with market-driven ingredients. Last weekend, he made succulent lamb's head tacos with housemade tortillas, cured red and green cabbage, smoked tomatillo sauce, purslane and padron peppers. Granados is opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Healdsburg later this summer.

Seasonal Produce Guide

In Season Right this Minute

Green beans
Onions
Basil

Coming Soon

Tomatoes
Cucumbers in abundance
Eggplant

It's Time To Put Up

Dried garlic into the root cellar
Frozen blueberries
Frozen corn

About the author: Jennifer Maiser writes about locally and sustainably grown food. She is the founder and editor of the Eat Local Challenge website and writes at Life Begins at 30, her personal weblog.