Peak Season: Your Farmer’s Market Cheat Sheet
Eight markets across the 209 corridor, five days of the week — when each one's open, what each one's actually like, and which ones are running right now.
Spring is in full swing and peak farmers market season is here. Lodi's market just opened. Ripon is back. Hughson is in its second season. Modesto is expanding to Salida this summer. And the year-round Saturday markets — Tracy, Stockton, Modesto, soon Turlock — keep doing what they always do.
Whether you're after a midweek night out, a quick errand, or a different way to spend Saturday morning, everything you need is below — while the season lasts.
Tuesday
🌅 Salida Library Market (Modesto CFM) — New!
When: Tuesdays, 8am–1pm, June 2 – July 28
Where: Salida Public Library, 4835 Sisk Rd, Salida
A brand-new satellite market launching this summer from the Modesto Certified Farmers Market team. Smaller, shorter season, and the first time a market has come this close to the Salida / north Modesto neighborhoods in years. Worth a look in June if you're in the area — and worth watching to see if it sticks around for 2027.
Thursday
Four markets run on Thursdays — more than any other day. Two open in the morning for produce; two open in the evening for dinner. If you're looking for a midweek night out anywhere in the 209, Thursday is one of the strongest options of the year — Lodi and Ripon both run wine and beer gardens, live music, and themed nights from May through August. If you’ve never been, you’re missing out and they BOTH have something special to offer. We recently covered our experience at the Ripon FM that you’ll find in the video below.
🌅 Modesto Certified Farmers Market
When: Thursdays, 8am–1pm, April 2 – October 29
Where: 16th Street between H & I Streets, downtown Modesto
The quieter version of the Saturday flagship. Same vendors, same location, far less crowded. If you've only ever been on a Saturday, this is the version locals actually prefer for produce-and-out efficiency. Live music most weeks.
🌅 San Joaquin Certified Farmers Market (Weberstown)
When: Thursdays, 8am–1pm, May – November
Where: Behind Weberstown Mall, 4994 Claremont Ave, Stockton
Run by the same San Joaquin Certified group that operates the year-round Sunday market and the Tracy Saturday market — consistent vendor quality, no-frills setup, easy in-and-out. Less of a destination than a stop on the way through your Thursday.
🌙 Lodi Certified Farmers Market
When: Thursdays, 5pm–8pm, May 14 – August 27
Where: School Street, downtown Lodi
The big one. FestivalNet ranks Lodi among California's top five farmers markets, and the weekly crowd — roughly 5,000 people — backs that up. Sixty-five-plus vendors, two live music acts each Thursday, a wine garden at Elm & School, a beer garden at School & Walnut, and themed nights running through the season. Not a market you go to for groceries. A market you go to for the night.
🌙 Ripon Farmers Market
When: Thursdays, 5pm–8pm, May – September
Where: Garden Joy, 929 W. Main Street, Ripon
One of our absolute favorites. The whole market doubles as a fundraiser for Garden Joy — a nonprofit community garden that's donated over 10,000 pounds of produce to local schools and food banks — so every dollar spent on a tamale or a flat of mushrooms goes back into the community. On-site beer garden, food trucks, picnic tables, kids' classes some weeks. The garden alone is worth the trip.
Check out our family’s trip to the Ripon Farmers Market here. It was such a blast and totally worth the trip from Stockton →
See more 209 market visits all summer on Instagram: @valleyhopper209
Friday
🌙 The Market Hughson
When: Fridays, 5:30pm–8:30pm, March–June & September–October
Where: Third Street, downtown Hughson
The newest market on this list — currently in its second year — and one of the only Friday-evening options in the corridor. The split season is unusual: it runs spring and fall, skipping the hottest stretch of summer entirely. Which, if you've stood outside in Hughson in late July, makes total sense.
Saturday
If Thursday is the most-options day, Saturday is the most-people day. Four markets are running Saturdays right now. They're not interchangeable.
🌅 Modesto Certified Farmers Market
When: Saturdays, 8am–1pm, January 17 – December 19 (effectively year-round)
Where: 16th Street between H & I Streets, downtown Modesto
The flagship 209 farmers market. Running since 1979 — 45+ years — and it shows. Vendor diversity, chef demos twice a month, kids' crafts monthly, live music every week, real prepared-food culture. Accepts CalFresh and offers Market Match, with one of the strongest matching programs of any market in the region.
🌅 Downtown Tracy Farmers Market
When: Saturdays, 8am–1pm, year-round (every Saturday except Christmas)
Where: N. Central Avenue between 6th and 9th Streets, downtown Tracy
The west-side anchor. Run by the San Joaquin Certified Farmers Markets group, year-round (a real distinction in the 209 — most markets close for winter), and a clean, walkable downtown setup. Less spectacle than Lodi or Modesto, more weekly-routine. Strong artisan layer, bouquets, prepared foods.
🌅 Oakdale Morning Market
When: Saturdays, 8am–11am, May 2 – September 26
Where: N. 3rd Avenue, downtown Oakdale
The shortest-window market on this list and arguably one of the cutest, next to Ripon and Lodi. Run by Love Oakdale, the morning market features a weekly featured nonprofit, an Artist in Residence, a live musician, and a Kids Corner — every Saturday. It's designed to do more with the time it's open than just sell produce. Mimosas in hand are encouraged.
🌅 Turlock Farmers Market
When: Saturdays, 8am–1pm, opens March 7, 2026
Where: Main Street, downtown Turlock
The southern end of the corridor. Turlock has the largest social media presence of any farmers market on this list — almost 16,000 Instagram followers, meaningfully more than even Modesto — which gives you a hint at the vendor base and weekly turnout it draws. Downtown setup, big enough to spend real time at, far enough south that it pulls a different crowd than Stockton or Lodi.
🌅 Manteca Farmers Market — Saturdays
When: Saturdays, 9am–1pm, June – October
Where: Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley, near Bass Pro Shops, 1422 Grove Ave, Manteca
A returning market after a few years away. The San Joaquin Certified Farmers Markets group (same operator as Tracy, Stockton/Weberstown) brought it back in 2025 in partnership with the Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley — relocated from its previous Maple Avenue spot to the higher-traffic shopping center near the Bass Pro Shops. The new location is built for foot traffic: easy parking, the market sits right in the plaza area, and you can fold it into a larger Saturday morning errand run. Accepts EBT with Market Match.
Sunday
🌅 San Joaquin Certified Farmers Market (Weberstown)
When: Sundays, 8am–1pm, year-round
Where: Behind Weberstown Mall, 4994 Claremont Ave, Stockton
The year-round one. While every other market on this list closes for winter, the Sunday market at Weberstown keeps going through January and February. Reliable vendor lineup, no-frills setup. The kind of market you start going to in the off-season and realize in March that you never stopped.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go
Cash is still king at most stalls. Many vendors take cards now, but smaller produce growers often don't. Bring at least $20 in cash — it'll save you a mid-market ATM run.
CalFresh and Market Match are widely accepted in the 209. Modesto in particular runs a strong Market Match program (free matching dollars on CalFresh purchases). If you've never used these programs, the market info booths are happy to walk you through it.
Most markets run rain or shine. A few will close for extreme weather — check their Instagram or Facebook the morning of if it looks rough.
The seasonal markets close earlier than you'd think. Lodi wraps in late August. Ripon and Hughson run through September. Oakdale ends September 26. The summer evening magic doesn't last forever — Lodi has 16 weeks total, and we're already in week one.