one of my favorite things to do in san francisco is spend a saturday morning at the farmer’s market at the ferry building on the embarcadero. i’d venture to say that this is one of the best farmer’s markets in the country – incredible artisan producers and local organic fruits and veggies straight from the farm, all set up inside and around a gorgeous old renovated ferry building at a spectacular location right on the water with a view of the bay and the bay bridge looming overhead. i’ve spent so many happy hours there – drinking new-orleans style iced coffee from blue bottle, ripping into fresh made herb slabs from acme, slathering bread with mt. tam cheese from cowgirl creamery, getting my sausage-on-a-stick on thanks to golden gate meat company, sampling multiple varieties of locally produced olive oil, chatting with the lovely food entrepreneurs and my friend tish over at the la cocina booth, purchasing seasonal fruits and veggies from all the fantastic vendor booths – i could clearly go on and on and on. there’s nothing like sitting down in the sun by the water with some friends and a bag of oysters from the hog island booth and juice-dripping-down your chin freshly picked best-peaches-you’ve-ever-tasted from frog hollow farm.

however, some of the best times i’ve ever had at the ferry building haven’t been just aimless wandering and stuffing my face, but the days i’ve spent working as a sandwich seller at cap’n mike and sally’s holy smoke salmon stand. not only are sally and cap’n mike two of the kindest, warmest, jolliest, most wonderful people on the planet, but their brined, cured, hot and cold smoked fish, deliciously sweet and gooey salmon candy, and their kickass salmon sandwiches are some of the best stuff you’ll ever put in your mouth. just look and see for yourself:

if you’re not screaming PUT THAT IN MY MOUTH NOW!!, we are so not friends anymore.

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