Farmers market guides

Plain answers for planning a market morning. Every number in these guides comes from our own listings (33,765 markets and stands, 3,985 with a schedule from a public register or the market's own website), and each guide says where its figures come from.

• What is a farmers market?How a farmers market differs from a farm stand, a public market and a produce store, and what the USDA definitions mean for shoppers.
• Market daysHow market days split across the week in the schedules we hold, and why Saturday morning dominates.
• SNAP/EBT at marketsHow EBT works at a market table, what Double Up and market-match programs add, and how many markets per state are authorized.
• Market seasonTypical opening and closing months, year-round markets, and winter markets, from the season statements we hold.
• Shopping tipsPractical advice for a good market morning, including what to bring, how to pay and how to shop in season.