Farmer's Market: Last Saturday in January

One of my favorite things to do in San Francisco is to get to the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market very early on a Saturday morning. I like it best when the stalls are still being set up, the produce being moved in, and the vendors chatting and warming their cold hands with hot cups of coffee.

I don't get to do this very often -- the lure of a warm bed is often too much to ignore -- but last Saturday I was there, bright and early. There was no line at Blue Bottle Coffee and the aisles were clear enough to really wander.

I love California because the temperate weather makes for a colorful market. Buckets of tulips signaled spring was on the way, and the piles of persimmons and citrus glowing in the early morning sun? Beautiful.

I should have bought more produce -- I regretted it this afternoon as I dashed into the grocery store. But sometimes the market is so pretty I just like to look. I left with a small bag of the most delicious, candy sweet mandarins, and a belly stuffed with a huge blueberry scone. This was enough.