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How do you feel about covering the challenges of eating locally in a region that's not known for its agricultural bounty? Our local Phoenix Public Market is under two years old and still has more craft vendors than farmers, but it's very important to "eat local" efforts here (even Sprouts imports food from Mexico, and Whole Foods is certainly trucking stuff in). And we're moving to just three blocks from it, where we'll have the kind of doormat-sized kitchen that gives me the urge to cook.

i'm a regular at a farmer's market that shows up fridays in downtown san jose. if the folks running the stands don't mind me taking pictures of their stuff, i'd love to do this.

(though i wish this had happened at the beginning of summer - all the cherries, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, etc that make such luscious pictures are winding down or gone)

Given that KS is a grain, bean, and corn growing state, our local farmer's market has, so far, been a bust for produce. The last time we made it out there, many of the stands were featuring peaches, plums, and other goodies from...California!

The one we frequesnt in the Detroit 'burbs is good - wide variety, but there are some sneakers who have produce that is not local. I'm finally starting to recognize who's who. The best parts are the chicken-lady and the sausage-man, though. I never knew chicken could taste that good. We should be in cherries for a while yet, and the apples will mound up in huge piles soon. I'd gladly share a report, but it would have to wait until mid-September because we'll be unable to get over there for the next couple weeks.

I live in Columbus Ohio and have tracked the markets for a few years now - I'd love to tell you what we have right now, along with pictures.

I just moved to omaha. I could report here. Is it a once thing or a weekly thing? or a monthly thing?

I live in Detroit, and I visit the Eastern Market on most Saturdays. The Eastern Market is quite the experience. It is massive, and you can find not only produce, but visit cheese-shops, wine-shops, spice shops, fishmongers, butchers, and any manner of independent shop specializing in one item. There is also entertainment from the karaoke performances outside of a particular restaurant, and the people out in their market best. There is also the best breakfast to be had before heading out shopping at Russell Street Deli which makes some of the most amazing omelets you could ever try, and all made with fresh ingredients from the market. If anything tells you what to buy that day, it will be what's in your omelet. A report from Detroit's Eastern Market would be not just a report on produce, but on the culture that surrounds those who take the time to shop locally and get out in the community, and perhaps sing a little karaoke along the way.

We have a great farmer's market every Saturday here in Salt Lake. Salt Lake has a pretty strong reputation as being a bland, white bread sort of town, but it's a little known secret that the downtown area is a liberal enclave with a burgeoning local foods movement. The farmers market is full of amazing local peaches, raspberries, veggies, lamb, mushrooms, cheeses, and breads. I'm volunteering down there this weekend, so I'll have to take some pictures.

Chicago has farmers markets almost every day throughout the city. You can always find one that is close enough to walk there. And I used to live in cleveland. They have the West Side Market there. It not only has tons of produce, but local butchers, pasta makers, bakery, etc. Definitely one of my favorite memories as a child was going to the market on Saturday morning.

Pittsburgh has eight city-sponsored farmer's markets in different neighborhoods around the city. There are one or two open on any given weeknight. http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/parks/html/farmers_market.html

There is also a wonderful mostly organic independent farmers market in the Strip District
http://www.slowfoodpgh.com/farmers.html
They offer laptop butcher service too for locally raised meats.

I'm a regular at Islington, one of the many London Farmers Markets. I would love to report.
http://www.lfm.org.uk/policy.asp

I'm looking forward to buying meat tomorrow. Recent Foot & Mouth precautions in the UK kept producers out of the markets briefly and I guess they have some income losses to make up.

In the DC area, we hit Eastern Market or the stands on River Rd. (in NW DC or Potomac, MD not exactly sure what side of the border they are on). My husband also stops at a farmer's stand out near his office in Columbia, MD and brings me gigantic juicy peaches, when in season, and huge eggplants.

I'd like to let you know what's selling at the farmers market in Heidelberg/Mannehim, Germany! (Lots of good stuff! Unpasteurized apple and grape juice, pumpkins, lots of plums, Hokkaido pumpkins, honey, really good dark bread, cheeses...)

I will be happy to report on markets in Wisconsin, specifically the Milwaukee area.