A city as unique as New York deserves a market as unique as the Greenmarket, whose Union Square location is conveniently open four days a week. With honey from the Berkshires, plump tomatoes from New Jersey, and sheep's milk ricotta from Saratoga Springs, the Greenmarket offers patrons a taste of the rural life without leaving the grid. Chefs from famous New York restaurants like Craft, Bouley, and Gramercy Tavern can be found eyeing produce and squeezing tomatoes. But for those who want a more interactive experience, the Greenmarket offers public chef tours. During these $125 excursions, foodies can stroll through the market with a chef, helping the chef choose what will be served at the restaurant that evening.

For more information: Green Market New York

In Chicago, the Green City Market directors are trying to do much more than just sell produce. Programs like Sprout for Kids, weekly cooking demonstrations, and discussions on sustainability are prompting many Windy City residents to wonder where their food was born. Heading these programs is Bruce Sherman, owner/head chef of North Pond, and one of five chefs on the board of directors.

For more information: Chicago Green City Market

While you won't find any novelty-sized cheese heads here, this downtown Madison mainstay is home to artisanal cheeses, organic potatoes, and a rare high-protein, low-fat meat: ostrich. The commodities themselves aren't the only idiosyncratic features of the market. Whether you want to or not, everyone walks in a counter-clockwise rotation around the market. Nonconformists Not Welcome. For all its eccentricity however, the Dane County Farmers' Market is home to some of the best Midwest produce, and some of the most knowledgeable vendors. As frequent market-goer Chef Tory Miller of L'Etoile notes, every vendor at the market must have grown or worked on the farm that yielded the produce at their stand.

For more information: Dane County Farmers' Market

In the past, farmers' markets have been unwilling and unable to serve a large consumer constituent: credit card holders. If you ran out of money at the farmers' market, you weren't going to be able to buy that fluffy, onion-speckled loaf of bread. But now, markets like the Crescent City Farmers' Market are leading the charge into the technological age. Customers can use their credit card or EBT cards to purchase tokens, which every vendor will accept like cash. In the Crescent City market, these tokens can be exchanged for exotic alligator sausage or creole tomatoes, a Louisiana specialty. One proponent of these tokens is Aaron Burgau, chef and co-owner of Patois, who attends the market every Tuesday and Saturday.

For more information: Crescent City

Variety is said to be the spice of life, and with over 55 vendors, the Santa Monica Farmers' Market can be considered the spice of the farmers' market scene. Produce ranges from the freshest avocadoes and grapes to bizarre foods like cactus apples. California's beautiful weather also ensures you and chefs like Jeff Jackson of A.R. Valentien will be able to get that produce year round.

For more information: Santa Monica

Though this farmers' market, New Mexico's oldest and most successful, currently has no fixed address it is never a hard market to find. Just follow the smoky scent of roasting chilies and you'll soon find them, nestled among stands advertising organic lamb, free-range chickens and much more. Chefs who regularly visit the market include Chef Mu Jing Lau of Mu Du Noodles and Maria Bustamante-Bernal of Tree House Café. If your olfactory abilities are sub-par, don't fret: the market will be moving into its permanent location in the Santa Fe Railroad District in late-2009.

For more information: Santa Fe

One of the benefits of buying from a farmers' market is the unmatched quality of produce. Morningside Market, whose produce is completely organic, certifies that the slender okra and aromatic herbs sold in the confines of the market are grown without the aid of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. It is these commitments to excellence that keep chefs like Michael Tuohy of Woodfire Grill coming back to the market week after week.

For more information: Morningside

Historically, the terms "feast" and "festival" have often been interchangeable. This fact is not lost on the organizers of the Portland Farmers' Market. These Pacific-Northwestern locavores strike a delicate balance between the appetizing (the Baird Family Orchard's peaches and nectarines are without equal) and the amusing (there are festivals scheduled for every weekend including the tomato festival, where visitors can taste over 50 varieties of heirlooms). Chefs who frequent the market include Leather Storrs of Rocket and Scott Dolich of Park Kitchen.

For more information: Portland

Located downtown, the St. Paul Farmers' Market is a testament to the "American melting pot." At one end of the market you might find Midwestern favorites like sweet corn and fresh, free-range poultry. On the other side you'll find the Hmong population's contribution to the market. The Hmong, an Asian ethnic group from the Southern region of China who immigrated to Minnesota in the 1970s, contribute traditional Asian produce like bitter melons and spicy, slender peppers.

For more information: St. Paul

South Florida's oldest farmers' market, the Coconut Grove Organic Farmers' Market, is much like its location: tropical yet still uniquely American. Peppers in all the colors of the sunset and bulbous and wrinkled heirloom tomatoes comprise the mainland produce, while interesting eats like purple mangoes and prickly pineapples make up the favorites from a lower longitude. Another unique feature of the market is its raw food deli, which boasts distinctive favorites like Giant Nori Rolls and Sprouted Spreads.

For more information: Coconut Grove