Regional Information About California Produce

Boasting a wide variety of climatic, soil and water conditions, a fully developed system of transportation, market outlets and support businesses, crop and livestock production has flourished over the years. In addition to leading the nation in cash farm receipts from the sale of agricultural commodities through conventional markets.

California also leads the nation in selling its agricultural bounty through farmers' markets. California farmers participate in more than 500 markets statewide, many of them year-round. An incredible diversity of California produce appears at these markets as this Website describes. Although farmers' markets throughout the state, especially those near the major population centers, will sell a wide variety of produce, each region of California has its own unique offerings.

Here, we present regional information on California produce by partitioning the state into eight different geographical regions: the Cascade-Sierra, the Central Coast, the North Coast, the Sacramento Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, the South Coast and the Southeast Interior.

Each region is profiled with a brief description of the geography, climate, and major crops that are typically grown in the region. Although the leading commodities will be mentioned, farmers' markets in the region will probably offer a wider variety of fresh produce.

Written by Laura Tourte; edited by Gail Feenstra