Your Favorite Farmer's Market?

[foodiedelite]

Hello All:
I'm fairly new to this BB and this topic may have come up in the past. I think this would be an interesting topic for CL magazine to cover in a travel segment.

Where would you say, in your travels or hometown is your favorite farmer's market and why?

Mine is on the island of Kauai. There's several markets there, this one was right outside Kapaa. The market opened at 3 PM sharp with the ringing of a bell. Once the bell rang, shoppers ran to the stalls with their own shopping bags to carry their treasures. When you purchased something, if you didn't have correct change, the vendors would throw in additional fruits/vegetables to make up the difference. The buying was fast and frenzied and everything was sold out in about 15 minutes. I don't know if the market still operates the same, this was in December/January 2000 when we were there.
The fruit selection was incredible. What's yours?

[Mousie29]

Dekalb International Farmer's Market near my home in Atlanta - I LOVE IT!!

[daner94]

Harry's Farmer's Market in Atlanta- Roswell to be exact. They have a great selection of items and the prices are great.

(I went to the DeKalb Farmer's market and I was a little disappointed.)

[emilycat]

Oh, I must pledge my love and devotion to Harry's! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif The variety and freshness of the produce and ethnic products never ceases to amaze me. Aside from my hometown market, I also love Pike's in Seattle. Every time I visit, I make it a point to go there. I love the ambience, and the fruits -- blackberries, cherries -- are the most lucsious I've ever seen anywhere. And I won't even get started on the seafood.... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[JLS]

When I lived in Seattle, I used to visit the U-District Farmers Market every weekend in the summer. It was AWESOME !

[This message has been edited by JLS (edited 04-23-2001).]

[SusanMac]

Madison, WI farmer's market, absolutely! It's the largest farmer's market throughout the midwest. Fresh veggies of any kind you can think of, baked goods, flowers, cheese, rice krispie treat :-). Thousands of people pack the capitol square every Saturday for it. It starts next week...I can't wait.

[LGBurns]

As usual I have a hard time being pinned down to one favorite http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif So here are three: I love the Farmer's Market in SF near the ferry station (I can't remember the street name but it's in the area where the Embarcadaro Freeway used to come thru before the earthquake). Also, the inside market in downtown DC is great -- I went there with my brother and sister-in-law once while I was staying with them and was really impressed. Wish they had something like that in Chicago. Finally, the farmer's market in Union Square in New York is great! I loved getting there after 3:00 when you could get great deals on left-over vegetables (usually the staples like lettuce).

[kwormann]

HOustonians...do we have any such an animal here? Ive been to the Dekalb one in Atlanta....it was almost enough to make me choose it over Houston when the two were in competition!

Kim

[Grace]

Oh, SusanMac, thank you so much for the information!!! I will be going to Madison next weekend (my husband's a Pro Bowler and there is a tournament there next weekend!). I may have to schlepp the cooler along and go there! "Our" farmer's market (the one I go to every weekend here in our area) doesn't open until the first weekend in June, so I am jonesing big time for a good farmer's market!

Can you give me a little more specific information about where it is? I'll sneak away from the tournament and go look around if it's nice weather....

NOW I'm excited!!

Oh, and LG.....we are getting a big indoor farmer's market near where the old Maxwell street used to be (I think?!) in the next year or two! Can't wait for that!

[This message has been edited by Grace (edited 04-23-2001).]

[Mbart]

OH, I'll give you the scoop on Madison's Farmers Market...I too love it. I live in Milwaukee, but was introduced to it when attending the University of Wisconsin. It is such fun! It is in downtown Madison, just off of the University campus, at the end of State Street. You can't miss it...it surrounds the Capital which is a beautiful building...the dome is just a little smaller than the one in Washington, and looks just like it. If in doubt, just follow the crowds. It's like a big party every Saturday morning...farmers with all of their goodies, but then also lots of other vendors with clothes, jewelry, plus street musicians, and people from all walks of life, from college students to families. We'll actually drive up (90 minute drive) once or twice a summer.

I was just up there this past week-end for a wedding...I was just one week-end too early!

[Grace]

I know exactly where you are talking about, Mbart....THANKS! If the weather is nice, I will definitely make the trip over. One more question, what time is it? I assume it starts early (7:00 a.m.?), but what time does it end? Depending upon which squad my husband gets assigned to (they bowl in two squads), I don't know whether he'll be starting early or late, and I don't want to get there too late and miss everything!

One of our very favorite restaurants ever (The Essen Haus) is very near the capital, so I have seen that area many times.

Thanks again for the info.

[karen w]

All of you guys are making me so jealous!! I spent 8 year in Madison for school(Undergrad. and Medical school) and I went to the farmer's market every Saturday morning I could. It's wonderful. I would ride my bike from whatever apartment I lived in that particular year...no matter how far off campus I lived. It was such fun!!

Anyway Grace, if I recall correctly it begins at 6 a.m. and runs until 1 or 2 p.m., but it is better to get there early(before 10 a.m., anyway). Otherwise things get picked over. At certain times of the season, I would go without eating breakfast, and eat as I walked along the capital square(this is where it is located-at the end of State Street). The farmer's would give samples of their produce so you'd grab some melon samples or apples in fall etc... and get some good bread or bakery from one of the bakeries at the market (yep, there is alot more than just fruits and vegetables there!)
and that would be breakfast! Plus there were lots of goodies to take home to cook with!
Have a great time. Oh...look for the fudge man, too! If he is still there, he always gave away samples!

[MarciaTJ]

In the Washington D.C. area I love Eastern Market - Not only is there a multitude of fresh veggies, and fruits, there are terrific meat, seafood, and cheese purveyors, and a FANTATSIC open air flea market - with wonderful hand crafted jewlery, dishes, furniture, art work - THE WORKS!!

It's my favorite thing to do on a weekend morning.

[LGBurns]

THAT'S IT! The market I went to in DC -- Eastern Market (I didn't know the name of it). I am soooooo jealous--I wish Daley would go visit DC and someone would show him the Eastern Market so we could get one in Chicago (he seems to get all his ideas for Chicago from other cities--good and bad). http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[Beth]

Farmers markets are something I miss here in TX. In CA, it semed that nearly every town had a market, so you could go to a different one every day of the week if you wanted to. I hear there's one here, but haven't been. Next best thing for us is going berry picking at a couple of farms we've found.

[Gina O]

For sentimental value, my favorite is in Raliegh, NC. I heard about it before visiting my sister and her family who live there and insisted on making a trip to it. My brother-in-law fell in love with the little seafood shop and made countless trips there before he died.

Locally, there are two I enjoy. Columbia, MO has a parking lot which local farmer sell there wares from card tables and the backs of trucks on Saturday mornings. Many of the foods are organic. My favorite is going mid-summer and seeing a little pick-up truck with the bed entirely full of green beans.

St. Louis has a very large farmers market in a downtwon neighborhood know as Soulard. It is very old, perhaps one of the oldest still operating at the same location. It is about an hour from my house, but I make the trip once in a while simply because I enjoy it so much.

[Melman]

Even though I live in SC, my two favorites are far from here. Harry's in Atlanta definitely gets a big thumbs up (would like to find the DeKalb Farmer's market but I haven't been near that area when I've visited Atlanta)....and the farmer's market in Allentown, PA. I think it's at the "Fair Grounds"???? I've only been twice when I've visited family in that area. I only WISH we had something like that around here!! OH MY!!!

[traci june]

For those Houstonians, there is a farmer's market in Alvin (South of Houston) called Frobergs. They have some things shipped in, but the veggies are mostly grown there. They also have wonderful strawberries, blueberries, and figs during the summer. And you can walk away with buckets of stuff for very little money.

I used to love going there as a child during the Christmas holidays (they sell pecans, also). They had apples the size of your face!

[BarrieCov]

I work in New York City, so I like the traveling Greenmarket that appears in different locations on different days. My favorite is the Union Square Market, Wed. Fri Sat. Great fresh produce, baked goods, cheese, jams, etc.

My absolute favorite (and I never get to visit enough) is by my friend's house in Paris. It's on Rue Mouffetard, and it carries amazing veggies, olives, fish, cheese, meats -- the French are serious about their food!!! I brought back pictures, and people couldn't believe how amazing everything looked.

[daner94]

BarrieCov, I was just at that Market just a few weeks ago! My non-foodie friend didn't want to check it out, so I went by myself and I just loved it. I wanted to add that one to this thread but wasn't sure if international markets counted. They had tables piled up with different types of sausages, escargot, honey, pates, fois gras, such interesting items!

[SusanMac]

Grace -- here's the URL for the Madison farmer's market for more info...http://www.madfarmmkt.org/

[Grace]

Yippee!!! Thank you SusanMac! I printed everything out (maps, etc.), and will be checking it out. It really looks wonderful (they have lots of pictures of what's available on the website). Thanks again!!

[JHolcomb]

I haven't done much traveling in the states, so my farmer's market experiences are limited to North Carolina. I like the state farmer's market in Raleigh, which I just visited this weeked (my husband and I are moving there in a month, so we went to scout the area). It's good, but nothing compares to the markets that were set up along the streets of Paris. Those were amazing.

[Chefmom]

Well, here in sunny Lancaster County there are Farmer's Markets EVERYWHERE. I really don't have a favorite, but it depends on which part of the Northern part of the county I am traveling in that day. On Fridays there is the Green Dragon and it is a flea market/farmers market extroidinare. I like the fact that they have a produce wholeseller who imports out of area items, BUT they only sell quality. If they don't have it, they couldn't find it worth buying. Plus there are local Amish/Mennonite farmers with their wagons filled with freshly picked produce etc. And local (out of county as well) farmers selling a little bit of everything.

There are other stands I stop at, usually ones that are at the end of the farms' road, and they sell only what was picked that morning. I miss the markets in the winter, and they are now opening up with spring onions and lettuse.

There are PLENTY of regular stores that call themselves "Farmer's Markets" they usually sell local items, but they are marketed to tourists and I avoid them. Not that you can't buy quality, but the prices are NOT what locals pay, but inflated for tourists. I prefer to buy from the farmer or the co-oped stand. Many of the Amish do not believe in dealing with the public, so they have their items sold through a combined stand.

I can't wait for watermelon season!! My daughter has been wanting to buy the ones in the stores, and I won't budge, when they hit the stands is when I will buy!! Oh, summer is a coming.....

Tami

[Katie-pie]

My hometown of York, PA has a wonderful farmer's market. It's in the Central Market House, in the downtown area. I love visiting! What do I always get? Well definitely apple dumplings (can't get them here in WV like the ones in PA), fresh flowers, great cuts of meat, York county silverqueen corn, fresh lemonade...I could go on and on...what a treat!

Now, I visit the Strip in Pittsburgh. It has wonderful stands, markets, and delis. It's about an hour north so I don't make it as often as I'd like to.

I wish that there was one here...sniffle!

[Danielle]

Definitley the Farmers' Market on the square in Madison. I live in Madison, and in the summer I just love getting up early on Saturday mornings to head downtown. And with State Street right there, you can make a whole day of it. Whenever my mom comes down to visit we hit the market in the morning and then eat lunch at the Angelic Brewing Company, which is right off of State Street. They serve this decadent dessert called Irish Cream Bash...oh, I just salivate thinking about it. It's best to go early to get the best selection of produce, but if you wait until later in the afternoon you can buy bunches of gorgeous flowers from local vendors for a steal!!

And the weather is supposed to be gorgeous this weekend...sunny and 75 degrees! Perfect for an ice cream cone.

[This message has been edited by Danielle (edited 04-24-2001).]

[valeriek]

I know this doesn't really count as a farmer's market, but I really love the fresh veggie stands on the differetn farmer's properties on the drive to Cape May, NJ. I always stop at a couple on the drive up from DC (during growing season of course!). Also, Delicious Orchards in central New Jersey is one of my favorite places to shop for veggie's. It does remind me of Eastern Market in DC, but bigger, and the veggies are grown on the land next to the store. Makes me want to move to Jersey (never thought those words would come out of my mouth!).

[This message has been edited by valeriek (edited 04-24-2001).]

[This message has been edited by valeriek (edited 04-24-2001).]

[Chefmom]

.....ah, the strip in Pittsburgh.......I do miss that one!! Hubbie and I lived above the city for many years and it was a favorite place to visit, I do miss it!!

Tami

I hear that Philly has a good strip on the South Side, but have never gotten around to get to the city......

[Searcher]

Does anyone know of one in the Hartford/Manchester area of Connecticut? I love Farmer's Markets but haven't found one here yet.

[Susann]

Another member of the Harry's Farmers Market in Atlanta fan club checking in. I love that place! My sister goes to the International Market on P'Tree Industrial and says the prices are better. That very well may be true, but it doesn't hold a candle to Harry's.

[This message has been edited by Susann (edited 04-27-2001).]

[Curleytop]

I go to the Farmers' Market in Rolling Hills Estates, CA every Sunday and then if I want something else, I go the market in Torrance on Tuesday. I get lots of fruit and veggies, even 4" plants or a bouqet of flours. It is a must for my weekly 10#s of oranges, the snow peas, and in season all the summer fruits and berries. I (pat on back) am such a good mother, I even schlep stuff for my middle aged sons that live close by! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[gertdog]

I love our little farmer's market in Ithaca, NY. I grew up in CA, where I didn't appreciate "seasonally available" produce as much as I do now. Now, every Saturday May-Nov. I hit the farmer's market first thing and get so excited when something arrives for the first time that season. Especially peas, blueberries and strawberries... mmm! And our market also has a great Thai food vendor who makes amazing spring rolls... even at 9:30 AM!

I also had a ball at the Madison farmer's market and Pike Place market in Seattle when I visited those places.