On a warm day last summer, as the Kailua Farmers Market on O‘ahu’s east side was wrapping up, a vendor handed me several liliko‘i. Yellow and light purple, they held the promise of juicy seeds and a refreshing tang. “Take them,” he said. “We’ve got so many. Just plant some.” I headed home, and after splitting the fruits open, I planted 12 seeds in shallow soil—six from a yellow orb, six from a purple one. Today, two liliko‘i vines wrap around my balcony fence, and another that started out as a seedling now flourishes at the house of a friend.

These kinds of connections with land, food, and farmers are things you can only experience at local farmers markets. While the islands were once entirely self-sufficient, the introduction of outside influences and the increasing ease of global trade began a downward spiral that led Hawai‘i to its present predicament, importing roughly 90 percent of its food. In response to this disparity, and to help farmers get their produce to customers on the islands, the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau Federation launched its first farmers market at Kapi‘olani Community College in 2003. At this weekly event, only flowers and food grown or made in Hawai‘i are sold. Today, the farm bureau markets number six, and draw thousands of shoppers, both visiting and living on O‘ahu, every week.

But the farm bureau wasn’t the first to support such gatherings on O‘ahu. In the early 1970s, beloved Honolulu mayor Frank Fasi’s wife was unsettled by constituent families’ remarks about the city’s unaffordable cost of living. This led to the founding of People’s Open Markets in 1973. These neighborhood markets, which continue today, are designed to be accessible and affordable, with controlled pricing and locations in diverse communities from Kalihi to Pālolo. Expect shorter time frames, odder hours, and more intimate crowds that shop fewer, but friendly, booths. More than a million people shop at the 25 sites each year, and they are the best places to find unusual fruits and even freshly caught fish.

Then there are private companies that also organize farmers markets, like FarmLovers Markets, which runs four such weekly events including the Kaka‘ako Farmers Market and the Hale‘iwa Farmers Market. With a mission to provide direct access to local food and fare, this company allows for a broader type of vendors offering local produce, flowers, and freshly cooked foods, as well as Hawai‘i-made crafts, like custom furniture and handmade jewelry.

Gatherings hosted by any of these organizations are engaging ways to snag the freshest produce, as well as to satisfy your palate. In fact, three popular O‘ahu establishments—The Pig and the Lady, Via Gelato, and Wow Wow Lemonade—got their starts at these very markets. Here, farmers can give communities direct access to their freshest harvests, new companies can hawk their wares, and innovative chefs can test their menus. But don’t just take my word for it, get a taste for yourself.

On Saturdays in Honolulu, the Kapi‘olani Community College Farmers Market—the island’s most popular—runs from 7:30 to 11 a.m. at 4303 Diamond Head Rd. Sample dishes from The Pig and the Lady, alongside coffee, freshly baked bread, and in-season fruits. (Stop in on Tuesdays, from 4 to 7 p.m. if you prefer less frenzy when you are foraging.) You can also check out the Kaka‘ako Farmers Market, every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at Ward Warehouse (1240 Ala Moana Blvd).

On Sundays, check out the KailuaTown Farmers Market, hosted by FarmLovers and held from 8:30 a.m. to noon at 315 Kuulei Rd. If you find yourself heading north, stop by the Pearlridge Farmers Market, held from 8 a.m. to noon at 98-1005 Moanalua Rd., or the North Shore Marketplace market from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cane Haul Road and Kamehameha Highway.

On Wednesday, the farmers market to check out is the Honolulu Farmers Market, held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall (777 Ward Ave.). Thursdays, there are two great markets to choose from: one in Kailua from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at 609 Kailua Rd., and one in Waimea Valley from 2 to 6 p.m. at 59-864 Kamehameha Hwy.