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dammit...i really wanted to score some ramps this saturday, so i guess i'm getting up earlier than i'd like. on the plus side, maybe i'll get there before the fish guy i like sells out of all the good stuff.

i'll also be on the lookout for rhubarb and ronnybrook.

i love ronnybrook.

- michelle @ http://www.thursdaynightsmackdown.com

No open farmers markets in Boston yet, but I get to Haymarket by 8:30 am on Saturdays-- the vendors are friendly and not yet surly, and then I can stop at Mike's Pastry for breakfast and get a table with no rushing crowds around.

I try to get to the market shortly after 8am but always no later than 9am; especially in the summertime when the heirlooms are at their peak.Then again, I'm a morning person so getting an early start is in my bones.

I hit our local farmer's market at noon (they're open 9-2). We felt lucky to find our favourite bread left, and for our hoped-for veggie, we scored some kale. Not much else left...

Union Square Greenmarket is happily on my way to work, so I'm there at 8-8:30 on Wednesday. I buy my veggies and then eat breakfast in the park before heading to the office.

I usually get there between 10 and 11 and find that I don't miss much. It is nice to be a the market earlier though, just to avoid the mob that just shuffles along, especially with strollers. Boy, do I hate strollers at the market!

Ours is open 9-1 and I rarely go after 10:00 (I went once near noon and pickings were slim). The flowers wilt in the Texas heat after a couple hours, and I like getting the choice picks at the veggie stands.

I run a lot and train for races with a group. My long Saturday runs are grueling but finish about 8:45. Nothing like capping a 7-miler with a fresh scone and some fair trade coffee right at the opening bell.

When my daughter was an infant, I would stroll over to Union Square with her so early half the trucks weren't unloaded yet. I was amazed at what I'd been missing all those years of dropping by the market post-brunch! Now I get there around 8 or 8:30, which is plenty early most of the time for most things (but not ramps).

While I usually go bright and early to my local market, sometimes it's more fun and more satisfying to go the hour before it closes for 'happy hour' where everything is $1 ($1 a bag, a bundle, a pound, whatever). Most of the produce has been picked through, but if you're just going for what's abundantly in season you can stock up for nothing. And it's lots of fun.

I try to head to the farmer's market (Sunday 9 am - 1 pm) in Mountain View (California) by 9:30 latest. It's a year round market, but come spring, it's a mob scene. I usually get my eggs from a kiwi farmer who brings her extra eggs to the market. Because she doesn't have many, I have to get there early (and bring my own egg carton).
Also, there are certain farmers that are very popular for their price & asian vegetables. I want to get NEAR the selection at all, I have to get there early.
I dislike the strollers too, especially since the aisles between stalls are so small. People with giant stroller just stop right in the middle, so no one could get by. Argh. Please move to the side. Sometimes there aren't even children in the strollers, they use it as shopping carts!

I agree with mrjones. If you go late, you get lots of 2 for 1 deals. And I find at my market, the farmers often forget to restock the specialty items. If I ask, they often have some behind the table or in the truck. My newspaper prints a list of what people are selling each week, so I know what to ask for.