The perfect foodie holiday is simple — a basic hotel room with a good bed and lots of delicious, interesting and perhaps never-before-tasted local specialties. Although many people economize on vacation, unless you’re looking for fancy restaurants, it’s simple to find good food wherever you go. At farmers’ markets and markets catering to locals, there are always seasonal surprises.

Apart from eating it fresh as you go, visitors can stay where the freshest foods are. The newest holiday trend is what Italians call “agriturismo,” or agricultural tourism. Guests stay on working farms, pitch in, learn about food and meet the locals.

If you’ve always wanted to try out a farmstay, the Castello delle Quattro Torra in Siena, Italy would be a perfect place to pig out and enjoy the rustic views of the Italian countryside. Located in an old castle dating back to the 14th Century, it is operated by a friendly family that owns their own vineyard and farm right next to the castle. Organic vegetables, olive oil and wine are made on the farm, and you can taste the beautiful produce for yourself.

Farmstays are no longer uncommon these days, and they are a chance to savor country life and collect memories as well as produce.

Travel westward toward Lyon, the French food capital, where many famous chefs got their start. Paul Bocuse, who owns a culinary school and restaurant in Shanghai, collects butchers, cooks, chocolatiers and everything a foodie could want at Les Halles de Lyon.

For the freshest, most delectable seafood, drop by Cellerier for their raw oyster platter; it satisfies oyster cravings, but just for a while. Boulangeries offer inexpensive breakfasts of croissants in various flavors.

Amazing markets

Asia’s markets are considered exotic and always a magnet for chefs. Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market is famous for the daily early morning tuna auctions. But Tsukiji is also a great place for fruit and vegetables, as well as the freshest seafoods and meats. They are sold in warehouses around Tsukiji, open from 9am daily.

Take your own carrier bags and be prepared for scowls from impatient stall owners when you linger. Despite that, the food is too good to pass up. The main market also sells dried food and seasonings.

Tsukiji is a competitive place where only the best food stalls and restaurants can survive. For the best sushi, with consistently high standards, try Sushi Say, which dates back to 1889. They have sets for lost-in-translation tourists. Ordering sushi can be difficult and many young locals struggle as written menus are limited and the menu varies daily depending on the season and sometimes what the chefs can and are willing to prepare.

The light soy sauced-based soup of ramen onoue found everywhere in Tsukiji is a good way to begin the day and get warmed up for a cold sushi lunch.

At noon, there are long queues and crowds slurping up ramen as they stand at street corners, a memorable sight.

Eating it fresh

Although America is famous for fast-food culture, it’s also famous for fine food and a fresh food movement. The US has nurtured globally known Michelin-starred restaurants. Farmers’ markets pop up everywhere around the country and many are permanent. Health- and environment-conscious people try to eat near the location of their food production. There’s a growing movement to buy directly from producers at weekly markets.

In New York City, nonprofit Grow NYC organizes many farmers markets in every part of the city. For tourists, the Rockefeller Center Greenmarket is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, offering everything from poultry to wines and honey, depending on the farmers. Make a beeline for the ice cream and the fruit stalls; this is the time to enjoy seasonal fruits. Nearby is the famous Magnolia Bakery, turning out the cupcakes that fueled the cupcake craze and brought Magnolia to international attention.

Another organization based in Washington, DC, Freshfarm Markets, focuses on public education about food and environmental issues. It helps farmers organize markets in 11 venues and has a dedicated list of certified “green” farmers. Every Thursday, a stall near the White House offers dairy products, fresh produce and backed goods.

Be a happy farmer

Even on a tight budget, travelers can find good cheap food by visiting markets. Try eating like Anthony Bourdain for a day and eat like a local.

In Shanghai’s suburbs, visitors can both enjoy a refreshing weekend trip and eat produce directly from the farm. There are many organic vegetable farms on the outskirts of the city. Many offer “happy farmer” and “happy fisherman” getaways where visitors can spend the night with a family, pick produce and enjoy country cooking.

Mahota Farm in Zhujiajiao Town, Qingpu District, offers one-day tours and farmstays. A personalized visit includes tending and picking vegetables, creating herb and mini-pot arrangements, baking healthy scones, making jam from freshly picked fruits, and practicing yoga outdoors.

A highlight is Kelong fishing, based on Kelong fishing developed in Malaysia. Kelong are a cluster of Southeast Asian-style wooden houses and platforms built on stilts over water. Visitors can jump from the platform into the water and catch fish with hand nets. Chefs will prepare the catch in any style, hotpot or barbecue, with fresh vegetables.

Tomato Farm in Songjiang District features replicas of Chinese ethnic minority villages and houses, including Miao, Mongolian and Tibetans. Authentic farmhouses are fitted out for tourists and offer basic amenities.

Greenhorns learn to plant seeds, apply fertilizer, water vegetables, fig pigs, ducks and geese.

The farm sells fresh poultry, dairy products, honey and vegetables. At night there’s ethnic folk dancing, a bonfire party and open-air karaoke contest.

Design Harvests on Chongming Island is expected to become a popular eco-tourist stop. The 29,000-suqare-meter farm grows rice and organic vegetables and has six multi-functional greenhouses. The farm gives DIY classes in bamboo weaving and shoulder pole play, a kind of folk drama.

Castello delle Quattro Torra

Address: Strada di Pieve al Bozzone 36, 53100 Siena, Italy

www.quattrotorra.it/en/index.html

Les Halles de Lyon

Address: 102 cours Lafayette, 69003 Lyon

Opening hours: 7am-2:30pm (market); 7am-10:30pm (restaurant)

www.hallespaulbocuse.lyon.fr

Tsukiji Fish Market

Address: 5-2 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Opening hours varies by shops, but typically 5am-2pm; closed on Wednesdays

www.tsukiji-market.or.jp

Sushi Say (Main Store)

Address: 4-13-9 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Opening hours: Mondays-Fridays 8:30am-2pm, 5pm-8pm (Monday-Friday); 8:30am-8pm (Saturday); 9:30am-8pm (Sundays and public holidays)

www.tsukijisushisay.co.jp

GrowNYC

www.grownyc.org

FRESHFARM Markets

www.freshfarmmarkets.org

By the White House

Address: 810 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC

Opening hours: 11am-2:30pm, every Thursday

Mahota Farm

Address: 2588 Shentai Road, Zhujiajiao Town, Qingpu District

Opening hours: 9am-1pm, 3pm-7pm

Tel: 6186-9688

www.mahotafarm.com/en

Tomato Farm

Address: 1600 Yexinzhi Road, Wuku Town, Songjiang District

Tel: 5888-5220

www.tomatofarm.net

Design Harvests

Address: 963 Xianqiao Road M., Shuxin Town, Chongming Island

Tel: 3509-3205

www.designharvests.com