We all do it during a trip: Visit a farmers' market to check out the produce, the flowers, the baked goodies, the jams and jellies.

In New York, it's the Union Square farmers' market. In Seattle, it's Pike Place Market.

In Honolulu, the Saturday Farmers' Market at Kapi'olani Community College — in the campus parking lot near Diamond Head — is a regular destination for savvy locals and Waikiki visitors who hear about it.

Locals know they can rely on fresh greens, corn, eggs, avocado, papaya and seasonal fruit — plus yummy cookies, breads and jams that taste very homemade.

The Japanese already have discovered the ritual of circulating among the locals, examining the macadamia nuts, the Kona coffee and the bottled marinades and dressings, which some purchase as omiyage (gifts).

Increasingly, hotel concierges recommend a visit to the farmers' market simply because of its appeal: There's food, plants and co-mingling with other visitors and residents.

"We've really increased our visitor-customer base," said Eleanor Nakama-Mitsunaga, who oversees the Saturday market, which is a project of the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at KCC.

"Especially with the Japanese. In partnership with the culinary school, we've had rack cards (those colorful notices heralding events and destinations) that are bringing in the visitors. And literally, we have Japanese publications and crews coming in and doing stories about the farmers' market, to get the word out in Japan. So far, six publications have visited."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.