Have you been to the Minneapolis farmers markets? It is that time of year again where the local fresh produce is starting to come in and the farmers markets are picking up. The City of Minneapolis has 2 farmers markets that are fairly large and draw a lot of vendors and patrons!
The Minneapolis Farmers Market is the largest of the two and has been open since 1937. It is open daily from 6am to 1pm and on Thursdays they are also open on the Nicollet Mall from 6am to 6pm. If you go to the main market on Lyndale Avenue, most of the parking is free. You will find wonderful produce any day of the week but the most vendors tend to be on hand on Saturday and Sundays because there are more customers. On the weekends there are as many as 170 vendors – on Thursdays at the Nicollet Mall there are as many as 60 vendors. The vendors offer mainly local produce but because our season is so short some will offer produce grown elsewhere, some offer true organic and some partially organic produce. Aside from selling produce the market also offers various cooking demonstrations, occasional live music and many recipes.
The Mill City Farmers Market founded in 2006 is located right on the river behind the Mill City Museum in downtown Minneapolis and is open Saturdays from 8am to 1pm. This market is accessible by public transportation or if you choose to drive there are plenty of parking meter spots on the side streets. Not only do the vendors at this farmers market offer organic and non-organic local produce, they also feature local artist vendors. The Mill City Farmers Market is also the very first zero waste market in Minnesota. All the waste generated at the market from food sales, samples and events is either composted or recycled. Every week has an event theme, so be sure and check out the calendar on their website.
Sure most communities have their own farmers markets which are great to go to on a weekly basis but if you want to hit a larger market and make an excursion out of it, try one of these Minneapolis Farmers Markets! Remember we are in the midwest – surrounded by farms, so what better place is there to get fresh produce!
