what’s a market?
Farmers’ markets offer fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, crafts and other goods by multiple producers at a common location, either open-air or an indoor market.
Farm and roadside markets offer a single producer’s fruits, vegetables, and other items for sale, often at the farm where they were grown.
Pick-your-own sites allow people to select and gather their own farm or orchard produce.
With an estimated 1,000 farmers markets, farm stands and pick-your-own fields and orchards in Ohio, local-grown produce and foods are easily available.
“Within the past year or two, there have been markets popping up all over,” said Lori Panda of the Ohio Proud program, part of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. “People are interested in supporting their local economy and Ohio farmers. It’s bringing the community together.”
“Buying local” is exploding in popularity as people seek more affordable, chemical-free foods and goods that support their communities. Many markets are expanding to offer cooking demonstrations and educational programs that teach people how to prepare unfamiliar vegetables or grow their own.
“The challenge for the farm markets is it’s starting to get difficult to get vendors, especially on Saturdays, because there’s so many markets and they’re so popular,” Panda said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual survey showed 278 farmers markets in Ohio in 2011.
‘A big responsibility’
Carla Miller of the four-year-old Mechanicsburg Farmers & Artisans Market can’t say enough about the benefits of the local farm movement.
“People are wanting to get back to more healthy and local food,” Miller said. “Every day it just gets more important. And so a lot of our growers are providing chemical-free produce or free range chickens fed on chemical-free food. What we’re doing basically is, and I feel it’s a big responsibility, is to do everything we can to help people to buy local, know how to prepare it, and eat fresh food.”
As a garlic grower, for instance, Miller said she knows that most garlic sold in America comes from China and must be heavily sprayed in the field, during shipping and at stores to keep them from sprouting.
“Ours is chemical free,” she said. “And we make our own powders and products that are 100 percent pure, where the stuff at the grocery store is 90 percent preservatives and filler. These are the kinds of things we’re trying to tell the public.”
Farmer’s markets near you
The following farmer’s markets are listed on www.ohio proud.org, part of the Ohio Proud agriculture marketing program of the state’s Department of Agriculture:
CLARK COUNTY
Clark’s Farm Market
1445 Eagle City Road, Springfield
(937) 399-0748
May through October, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays
The Corn Crib Farm Market
4200 Springfield-Jamestown Road, Springfield
(937) 325-7837
June through mid-September, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; mid-September through November, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Harmony Farm Market & Gifts
4760 E. National Road, Springfield
(937) 324-3289, harmonyfarm market@yahoo.com
April through December, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; January through March, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays
Kerr Farms & Farm Market
2770 Shrine Road and 1131 1/2 Sunset Ave., Springfield
(937) 964-8528, kerrfamilyfarms @aol.com
Year-round, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Sundays
Kerr Farms II
1154 North Tecumseh Road, Springfield
April through October, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays
Springfield Farmers Market
117 S. Fountain Ave., Springfield
(937) 408-6751, info@springfield farmersmarket.org
www.center-city.org/?s_page= farmers_market
June through September, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
Champaign Berry Farm
2560 S. Mutual Union, Urbana
(937) 653-7525, pullins@ foryou.net
www.champaignberryfarm.com
June through July, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 2 to 8 p.m. Sundays
Champaign County Farmer’s Market
6290 Kiser Lake Road, Conover
(937) 726-7668, mlefever@ woh.rr.com
Freshwater Farms of Ohio
2624 N. U.S. 68, Urbana
(937) 652-3701, drdave@ fwfarms.com
www.fwfarms.com
Year-round, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays
Louden Family Orchard
576 N. Ohio 560, Urbana
(937) 653-4558, orchard@ ctcn.net
Late August through November, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. Saturdays, noon through 4 p.m. Sundays
Mechanicsburg Farmers & Artisans Market
Mechanicsburg Heritage Cooperative parking lot, Ohio 29, Mechanicsburg
(937) 828-1325, ckxdj@mail.com
June through September, 4:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays
Remerowski Orchards
4035 Idle Road, Urbana
(937) 362-3924
Mid-August through November, 1 to 6 p.m. Fridays through Sundays
Stevens Bakery & Orchard
7344 Thackery Road, Springfield
(937) 788-2873
August through November, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays
GREENE COUNTY
Anderson Farm Market
1240 Clifton Road, Xenia
(937) 767-7626
May through October, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays
Apple Country Farm Market
2323 U.S. 42, Spring Valley
(937) 862-4376, applecountry farm@woh.rr.com
www.applecountryfarm.com
June through December, 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays
Bath Church Farmers Market
4624 Bath Road, Dayton
(937) 233-9085, jtway@ earthlink.net
www.bathchurch.org
Mid-June through September, 4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays
Berryhill Farm
330 and 127 Krepps Road, Xenia
(937) 374-8747
June through September, call for days and hours
Breezy Acres Fruit Farm
3470 Waynesville-Jamestown Road, Xenia
(937) 372-2436, galebreezy acres@aol.com
www.breezyacresfruitfarm.com
July through December, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays
Fairborn Farmers Market
Main Street and Grand Avenue, Fairborn
(937) 754-3090, pete.bales@ci. fairborn.oh.us
www.ci.fairborn.oh.us
April through November, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays
Friendly Knoll Farm
770 Ohio 72 South, Jamestown
(937) 675-2464
April through October, call for hours
Jackson’s Farm Market
2931 U.S. 68 South, Xenia
(937) 376-1778
May through October, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. Sundays
Katie’s Pumpkin Barn
2128 New Germany Trebein Road, Beavercreek
(937) 217-7656, farmer2128 @gmail.com
www.katiespumpkinbarn.com
Sept. 12 through Oct. 31
Kings Yard Marketplace
228 Xenia Ave, Yellow Springs
(937) 324-8548, cc2thee@aol.com
May through October, 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturdays
Peifer Orchards
4590 U.S. 68 North, Yellow Springs
(937) 767-2208, john@peiferorchards.com
www.peiferorchards.com
July through December, Mondays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays noon to 5 p.m.
Shockey’s Farm Market
4265 West Enon Road, Fairborn
(937) 767-1026
June through October, Mondays through Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p,m.
Spitler’s Orchard
5689 U.S. 35 East, Jamestown
(937) 675-2852
June through November, daily 24 hours
Sugarcreek Twp. Farmers’ Market
4333 Feedwire Road, Bellbrook
(937) 848-8426, ctilford@ sugarcreektownship.com
www.sugarcreektownship.com
Third week of May through last week of October, 3 to 7 p.m. Fridays. November through April, 3 to 5 p.m. third Fridays
Timothy’s Farmers’ Market
East Xenia and Maysville streets, Bowersville
(937) 453-2223, wayfaring stranger@att.net
June through August, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. second and fourth Thursdays
Xenia Towne Square Farmers’
Market
Xenia Towne Square, in the lot near Kmart
(937) 376-7232
www.ci.xenia.oh.us
Through September
2-6 p.m. Tuesdays
Yellow Springs Farmers Market
228 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs
(937) 767-7448, camperchick228 @yahoo.com
www.yellowspringsfarmers market.com
April through November, 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays; January through April, 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
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