One of the few things that get me out of bed on Saturday mornings is knowing there are several farmers’ markets where I can go to buy freshly picked local fruits and vegetables I crave, while maybe discovering something new I haven’t tried before and getting advice on how to prepare it. But it’s equally motivating to know I’ll get to schmooze with neighbors while getting a cooked-to-order omelet, bowl of grits or biscuit-and-egg sandwich I can eat while shopping.
The number of farmers’ markets in the Louisville and Southern Indiana area has grown to nearly forty in recent years. (At the end of this story, we list all those markets, their locations, times of operation and when you can expect local fruits and vegetables to be in season.) I can drive to the Jeffersontown farmers’ market and get honey from a kind gentleman who occasionally brings chirping chicks in a little cage. Or I can make the 10-minute drive to the Bardstown Road market to grab some homemade soap, berries in season, or chicken, pork or lamb. Most protein is usually sold frozen, but farmers also bring freshly processed chickens every now and then.
With so many markets open, I struggle to pick a favorite. There are a few big markets with dozens of vendors, such as the sprawling one at Beargrass Christian Church on Shelbyville Road and Browns Lane, the tree-shaded one at Douglass Boulevard Christian Church on Bardstown Road, or the market in downtown New Albany on Market Street. Some sport extensive awnings over display tables where craft vendors sell soaps, jewelry and other handmade items, alongside farmers selling seasonal produce, eggs and meat. These larger markets also attract food trucks, booths cooking breakfast and lunch items, and bakers of bread, muffins and cookies.
The atmosphere is more casual at any of several smaller neighborhood markets, such as in Phoenix Hill, Beechmont, Crescent Hill or at the Temple on Lime Kiln Lane. These are true “tailgate markets,” where most farmers sell what they picked the night before from the backs of their trucks.
The explosion of farmers’ markets fits in well with the “Keep Louisville Weird” campaign that promotes small businesses. By purchasing food at a farmers’ market, you buy truly local and fresh food. Vendors at local markets are required to sell only what they grow or raise, though some bring items from neighboring farmers who can’t make the trip themselves. By connecting with your community at a farmers’ market, you learn more about how small farmers grow their crops and the challenges they face in bringing them to market. Prices typically exceed the cost of edibles at supermarkets, but the quality is typically superior to supermarkets. Farmers are most always happy to discuss how their prices reflect the cost of producing high-quality food. It gives them a chance to tell their stories firsthand.
Whether you stick to the same farmers’ market each time or try a new one every weekend, you are sure to have an enjoyable time. How often can you say that about grocery shopping? The only way you could go wrong is to not go at all. Check the following chart to see which markets are close to you and which could be worth a little travel just to try something new.
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Bardstown Road Farmers’ Market (Year-Round) Saturday 8 a.m. – noon (April – Dec.), 10 a.m. – noon (Jan. – March), 1722 Bardstown Road (Presbyterian Church parking lot), 945-9161.
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Beechmont Open Air Market (Mid June – Mid Sept.) Saturday 8 a.m. – noon, 4574 S. Third Street (Beechmont Baptist Church parking lot), 367-2652.
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Crescent Hill Farmers’ Market (Mid May – Oct.) Friday 7 a.m. – 10 a.m., 201 S. Peterson Avenue (Crescent Hill United Methodist Church parking lot), 968-3693.
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Douglass Loop Farmers’ Market (Early March – Mid Dec.) Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., 2005 Douglass Boulevard (Douglass Boulevard Christian Church), 452-2629.
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Gray Street Farmers’ Market (Mid May – Oct.) Thursday 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., 400 E. Gray Street, 852-8781.
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Growing Forward Refugee Farmers’Market (June – Sept.) Sunday 10 a.m. – noon, 1938 Alfresco Place, 456-6394.
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Jeffersontown Farmers’ Market (Year-Round) Saturday 8 a.m. – noon (Early May – Mid Oct.), 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Mid Oct. – Early May), 10434 Watterson Trail (Under the Jeffersontown Pavilion), 267-8333.
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Louismill Anchorage Farmers’ Market (Mid May – Oct.) Saturday 8 a.m. – noon, 12102 La Grange Road, 494-7012.
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Louisville Farmers’ Market 1 (Mid May – Sept.) Saturday 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., 7624 Shelbyville Road, 272-0077.
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Louisville Farmers’ Market 2 (Mid May – Sept.) Thursday 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., 1301 Herr Lane, 272-0077.
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Lyndon Farmers’ Market (Mid May – Mid Dec.) Thursday 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., 7515 Westport Road, 968-4559.
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Mazzoli Farmers’ Market (April – Oct.) Wednesday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., 600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Place.
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Middletown Farmers’ Market (June – Sept.) Friday 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. & Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 11711 Main Street (Middletown), (Village Square Shopping Center parking lot).
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Ninth Street Farmers’ Market (April – Dec.) Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m., Ninth Street & Chestnut Street (YMCA Quinn Chapel church parking lot), 778-4523.
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Norton Commons Farmers’ Market (June – Mid Sept.) Wednesday 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., 10712 Meeting Street.
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Old Louisville FarmWorks Market (June – Oct.) Wednesday 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., 1143 S. Third Street (Walnut Street Baptist Church parking lot), 348-8251.
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Phoenix Hill NuLu Farmers’ Market (Mid May – Oct.) Tuesday 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., 1007 E. Jefferson Street (Fresh Start Growers’ Supply parking lot), 262-7194.
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Rainbow Blossom Farmers’ Market (Mid May – Oct.) Sunday noon – 4 p.m., 3738 Lexington Road, 896-0189.
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Rowan Street Farmers’ Market (Mid June – Oct.) Tuesday & Thursday 8 a.m. – noon, 3360 Commerce Center Place, 510-0819.
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Russell Neighborhood Farmers’ Market (June – Oct.) Friday 3 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., S. 22nd Street & Cedar Street, 775-4041.
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Schnitzelburg Community Farm-ers’ Market (Mid April – Nov.) Saturday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., 1481 S. Shelby Street (The Cure Lounge parking lot), 417-5902.
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South Point Farmers’ Market (May – Sept.) Sunday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., 4148 Taylor Boulevard, 574-6164.
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Southwest Farmers’ Market (June – Oct.) Saturday 8 a.m. – noon,
10200 Dixie Highway (Valley High School parking lot), 649-4970.
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St. Andrew Farmers’ Market (May – Oct.) Thursday 3 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., 2608 Browns Lane, 643-6584.
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St. Francis of the Fields Farmers’ Market (June – Nov.) Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. & Tuesday 3 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., 6710 Wolf Pen Branch Road, (812) 968-3693.
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St. Matthews Farmers’ Market (Mid May – Oct.) Saturday 8 a.m. – noon, 4100 Shelbyville Road (Beargrass Christian Church), 896-1161.
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The Temple Farmers’ Market (April – Nov.) Monday 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., 5101 US Hwy 42, 423-1818.
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Tower View Farm and Nursery Farmers’ Market (Year-Round) Monday thru Saturday 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. & Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., 12523 Taylorsville Road, 267-2066.
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Victory Park Farmers’ Market (June – Oct.) Saturday noon – 4 p.m., S. 22nd Street & Kentucky Street, 775-4041.
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Westport Road Baptist Farmers’ Market (April – Oct.) Saturday 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., 9705 Westport Road, 425-2350.
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- •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Whole Foods Farmers’ Market (Mid May – Sept.) Wednesday 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., 4944 Shelbyville Road, 899-5545.
- •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Winter Market at Harvey Brown Presbyterian Church (Nov. – April) Saturday 8 a.m. – noon, 301 Browns Lane, 599-7295.
INDIANA
- •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Jeffersonville Farmers’ Market (June – Mid Oct.) Saturday 9 a.m. – noon & Tuesday 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., 240 Wall Street (Wall Street United Methodist Church), (812) 283-0301.
- •••••••••••••••••••••••••• New Albany Farmers’ Market (Year Round) 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Early May – Oct.), 10 a.m. – noon (Nov – Early May), 202 E. Market Street, (New Albany City Square), (502) 905-3640.
- •••••••••••••••••••••••••• New Albany Farmers’ Market at Floyd Memorial Hospital (June – Sept.) Tuesday 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., 1850 State Street (Floyd Memorial Hospital parking lot), (502) 905-3640.
- •••••••••••••••••••••••••• New Albany Farmers’ Market at W.I.C. (June – Sept.) Thursday 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., 1917 Bono Road (Floyd Memorial Hospital – inside W.I.C. building), (502) 905-3640.
- •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Charlestown Farmers’ Market (Mid May – Oct.) Thursday 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., Main Street (Town Square), (812) 283-0301.
- •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Floyd Knobs Farmers’ Market (Year-Round) Saturday 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., 400 Lafollette Station Drive, (812) 923-4438.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The Farmers’ Market at Sam’s (June – Sept.) Saturday 8 a.m. – noon, 3800 Payne Koehler Road (Sam’s Food & Spirits parking lot), (812) 246-2673.
