Farm Stand Round-Up

Usually, I am a die hard supporter of my local Farmers Market, the 2nd Street Market. This summer, I decided to branch out and visit more farm stands and more markets. We've gone U-picking twice this summer, gone to far flung farm stands in West Alexandria and Xenia. Sometimes I feel like I'm cheating on the 2nd Street Market.

It's cute, isn't it? But let's say you are looking for some variety? The Sugarcreek Farmers market is more like a collection of individual farm stands. It happens every Friday afternoon from 3-7. It's a true outdoor market though- it is in the middle of the field, next to a giant Target and a Petsmart. No joke. Only in Dayton. I'm still trying to figure out how locavores coexist in peaceful harmony with mass market consumerism. Or maybe the market is in the shadow of mass market consumerism? Either way, I find it ironic. At the Sugarcreek Farmers Market I have found some incredible deals on stone fruit. $5.99 a peck? You're kidding, right? I bought about 5 pounds of apples for only $1 a pound. Seriously, it is highway robbery. Sugarcreek also has some more niche/interesting vendors, like the Peaceful Acres Lavender Farm and Harry's Gourmet Garlic. I bought a bunch of lovely, fragrant English Lavender from Peaceful Acres, and I'm still enjoying the scent. Harry's has heirloom garlic, with special varietals like music, Italian, and Russian. I've enjoyed them thoroughly.

I've also frequented the Stubbs Family farm stand. It appears, like a mirage, in a parking lot next to the Tim Hortons on Patterson & Wilmington Pike. You can also find the Stubbs family at the Wright-Dunbar market on Friday mornings. High quality, inexpensive produce. It's great when I've run out of ingredients in the middle of the week. Also, they had the best melons this season. Sweet, with a hint of musk- but not too much.

I've mentioned Tuken's and Berry Hill Farm- both with their own farm stands. I've seen LOTS!! of Farm Stands off of State Route 380- so give it a try. Fall is coming up, and 380 is a beautiful drive.

I've found a lot of farms through the internet- especially a site called Local Harvest You can search by crop and location. I highly recommend it. A simple search for Dayton, OH yields 4 pages of results. For those Grand Rapidians reading this blog, the 49301 zip code (Ada/Cascade) has 3 pages of results- for just that zip code! An Ohio based site, Our Ohio, provides a great round-up of what's in season right now!

PS: I've visited some great farmers markets in other states, too. Kudos to the Ithaca Farmers Market for being super cool. Best selection, as always, goes to my original market, The Fulton Street Market in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Image from here