You’ve heard it before, but it bears repeating — one of the best ways to learn about and support your local food system is to shop at your area’s farmers market.

If you don’t know how to find one, peek at the website of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. That list is organized by county, so it’s easy to navigate. Also, what a great way to get to know an area — visiting its farmers market.

You likely already do this though, because, well, you care about where your food comes from.

What you may not know about farmer’s markets — perhaps my favorite part and something very near and dear to my heart — is the prepared foods.

Why this love for the prepared foods, you ask?

First, I was a carny (my self-described term for someone who runs a booth at a farmers market) for 15 years with my company, Pizza Politana. We were at 14 markets a week, lugging a 3500 pound oven all over the Bay Area. The other food vendors were crucial if we didn’t want to eat pizza all day everyday.

With them we traded food and stories, and it was an indelible part of our market experience.

Also, the food vendors use products from local farms and artisan producers, making them integral to their local food system. Many of these vendors can only be found at farmer’s markets, eschewing brick-and-mortar for the traveling life.

This is why almost all of them offer catering as a secondary stream of revenue.

In Petaluma we are lucky to have the Eastside Tuesday Farmers Market. Here, you can buy every grocery need for your week — and you can snack and dine to your heart’s content.

Or if you’re feeling gluttonous like I often am, far past that point.

Start at Myriad Coffee. I do. The owner is Eddie Ramos. He does classic pour-overs, as well as specialty drinks like house-made Horchata Cold Brew and Cochina Lima, inspired by a Whiskey Sour. These are deliciously thick, dairy free, cinnamon-laced strong drinks that I just adore. Eddie’s charitable giving is almost always to school events, as he’s a coach at Piner High. I love his motivation at Myriad: “To help the world smile.”

With a Horchata Cold Brew in hand, I’m definitely smiling.

With my coffee in hand, I head to Drewish for my go-to — an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, which goes great with my coffee. Drewish offers bagged bagels with all the schmears, as well as bagel sandwiches, breakfast-style or lunch. I always save half for my husband — mainly so I can eat more from other vendors, but he doesn’t need to know that. Drewish is a Healdsburg deli with an East Coast vibe, and brings a little of that panache to the market.

Belfare is a necessary next stop. They have a delicious selection with everything perfectly done. I go between the iconic breakfast sandwich, reminiscent of an East Coast bec (bacon, egg and cheese), a sloppy perfectly cooked and seasoned cheeseburger (when available) and their famous fried chicken sandwich. Belfare’s sandwiches are served on buns from Fireswamp Provisions, a beloved vendor at the Point Reyes Farmers Market at Toby’s Feed Barn. Fireswamp’s brioche buns add a sweet chewiness to the sandwiches. These are all best in class, making it incredibly hard to choose.

If you can’t make it to the Tuesday market, Belfare does have a brick-and-mortar in Petaluma with an exquisite menu that is all from local farms, and yes, includes that famous fried chicken.

Tacos Don Pepe is a must-visit on every market shopping day. I always order one or two of the day’s vegan tacos because they not only use farm fresh ingredients, but the combinations are incredibly innovative, such as cauliflower “al pastor” or sweet potato and plantain, each with differently paired zingy salsas, adding both a touch of heat but deeper, unique flavors.

Tacos are served on their fresh handmade corn tortillas, so soft and lovely — a rare treat. Additionally, the aguas frescas can’t be beat. All the flavors are divine, so I usually grab whatever is most seasonal.

Last, their little secret: they offer churros now, if you, like me, need to end each meal on a sweet note.

I work off my calories by getting my shopping done — fresh flowers for my dining room table, fruits and vegetables for upcoming meals, cheeses and breads for the family to snack on, and dessert items to assuage my sweet tooth.

Shopping done, check. Supporting local food systems, check. Eating deliciously, check.

The best way to track where you can find these vendors is their websites.

Drewish: drewishdeli.com/home

Belfare: belfaresonoma.com

Myriad Coffee: myriadcoffee.com

Naomi Crawford has spent 35 years in the restaurant industry, is a Petaluma resident, and is co-owner of Lunchette. Her goal is to help people get better connected to one another and to place through food and food systems.