(CNN) -- Wherever he goes, Richard Ruben stops by the local farmers' market.

The chef and author of "The Farmer's Market Cookbook" says he visits markets to get a taste of the culture off the tourist track.

Even though travelers can't buy a pound of beans and cook them, they can still enjoy visiting markets on the road, says Janet Fletcher, author of "Fresh From the Farmers' Market."

"You can still get a wonderful sense of what's grown in that community, and what you can find in restaurants when you dine there," she added.

Nina Planck, author of "Real Food: What to Eat and Why" and founder of London Farmers' Markets, advises travelers to shop as though planning a picnic.

Columbia City Farmers Market (Seattle, Washington)

For a great urban market, Planck recommends Seattle's Columbia City Farmers Market.

With more than 40 Washington State farmers and small food vendors, travelers are bound to find something to take back with them.

For Planck, it was Holmquist Hazelnut Orchards' hazelnuts.

"When you're traveling with kids, you're desperate for things that don't make a huge mess: cured meats, jerky, ham, hard cheese, apples, nuts," she said. "Nuts are good if you're in nut country."

see http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/07/22/best.farmers.markets/ to read the full article