- Before you go
- When to arrive
- Paying: cash, cards, EBT and coupons
- Choosing produce and asking questions
- Carrying it home
Before you go
Check the market day and the season first. A market is an event, not a shop: it runs on its day, for a few hours, between its opening and closing months, and it pauses for holidays and storms. Every market page here shows the schedule we hold, the source and the date; if the page says "unknown", look at the market's own website or Facebook page the night before. Of our 33,765 listings, 3,985 have a schedule from a register or the market's website.
Bring bags, a cooler for meat, eggs and cheese if the drive home is long, and a list that leaves room for what looks best. Parking at busy markets fills early; a market in a park or downtown square often has street parking a few blocks out.
When to arrive
The first hour has the best choice: scarce items such as the first strawberries, sweet corn or heirloom tomatoes sell out early. The last half hour has the best prices at some stalls, as vendors prefer selling to packing, but the choice is thin. If the market opens at 8, arriving at 8 means first pick; arriving at 11 means a quieter walk and possibly a deal. Older shoppers and anyone who dislikes crowds often do best in the first thirty minutes, when there is room to move and talk.
Paying: cash, cards, EBT and coupons
Cash in small bills is still the fastest way to pay, and some small stalls take nothing else. Many vendors take cards or phone payments; a sign on the table says so. SNAP/EBT works at the market's information table, where you swap EBT for tokens that stalls accept; 6,997 of our listings are authorized SNAP retailers in the USDA register, and many add a matching program for fruit and vegetables. Senior and WIC farmers market coupons are issued by state agencies each summer and are accepted at certified markets. The guide to using SNAP/EBT at farmers markets explains all three.
Choosing produce and asking questions
Shop in season: what is plentiful at the market that week is cheapest and best. Ask the person at the table "did you grow this?"; at a producer-only market the answer is yes, and the grower can tell you the variety, when it was picked and how to cook it. Judge by weight and smell rather than looks: a heavy melon, a tomato that smells like a tomato, greens that are not wilted. Bruised or odd-shaped "seconds" are often sold cheaply for sauce, jam or freezing; ask if there are any.
Carrying it home
Put soft fruit on top, keep cold items in the cooler, and get leafy greens into water or the fridge within a couple of hours. Many markets let you leave a heavy bag at the information table while you finish the loop; some offer a wagon. If you walk with a cane or use a wheelchair, markets on paved squares and parking lots are easier than those on grass; our listings do not record surface or accessibility, so check with the market.
Something wrong on a market page, or a market we have missed? Send a correction.