Columbia Farmers Market

While visiting a friend in Columbia she made sure that we were up early to check out the Columbia Farmers Market, which sets up shop every Saturday for several hours in a parking lot. While I am not going to get into specifics as far as what types of produce and other items were available, I will say that they had the usual items like produce, flowers, baked goods, meats, etc all at great prices and best of all of the items were local. I even managed to find several items to bring back to Saint Louis!
All of the vendors were friendly, and some even took credit card however for those without cash you can stop by the ATM if needed. If in Columbia on a Saturday morning I highly recommend making a stop!

Coming from San Diego, I wondered (with trepidation) how Columbia’s farmers market would compare with what I was used to, but I like Columbia’s better. Since I didn’t live in Hillcrest, and the closest «farmers market» (UTC) was a joke (no actual farmers, just pre-​made foods), I’d drive 15−20min to PB, who had 3 – 4 organic vendors: JR, Suzie’s, the (seasonal) peach/​nectarine table, and the avocado/​orange folks. Now, do I miss having cheap, year-​round, organic, local avocados and oranges? Hmm, yes, a fair bit, actually. But, our market is 1) much closer (5min? 3min?) and 2) has many more certified organic (incl. in process) and almost-​organic farms with a variety of produce. My only wish is that they’d grow more fruit. But there’s a goat dairy! And sauerkraut. Our favorites include Bluebird for (chicken) eggs and miscellany (most recently okra, potatoes, watermelon); CCUA (okra, cucumber, greens, carrots – lots); Happy Hollow (also lots); Share-​Life (kale/​spinach/​collards, corn, green beans); the Salad Garden (tomatoes, sauerkraut); Mighty Acorn (sungold cherry tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes); Blue Bell (lettuce mix – this was their first year); Binder’s (apples, blackberries); and Goatsbeard (all of their cheese! blue, walloon, feta, herbed round, etc. – expensive but so flavorful you don’t need much). And whoever sold us the paw paws this weekend – a unique regional treat (our first taste). The music and occasional food-​related fundraisers are fun, too. They have a weekly email you can get, too, which is informative.
I know everyone has different preferences, which is fine, but if you’re like me, this is a significant increase in quality of life.

I thought that buying from the local farmers would help me save some money by skipping the middleman and shipping costs you would find at the supermarket. What I found was a group of people who were really impressed that their food was grown organically and without modern agricultural techniques, and their prices reflected that belief. Vegetable prices were moderate to high and the meat prices were OUTRAGEOUS. If you are looking for a ‘Whole Foods,’ organic, non-​gmo, never breathed on by normal farmers, this is your place. If you are looking for the best price on fruits and vegetables, try the Amish auction in Clark, MO.

Nice little market with a lot of pretty good looking produce and not a lot of junky kitschy junkiness. There’s a guy who will sharpen your kitchen knives — or your shovel. Whatever you need.
Most of the produce looked pretty good. Prices were generally highish but not USUALLY (with a few exceptions) too high. I would have liked to see more handcrafted items — maybe this farmer’s market doesn’t allow that.
I was really really happy to find several vendors with Thai ingredients as we arrived in MO too late for me to plant a garden. Yay, Holy Basil!

Who: Local farmers in their overalls, hippies, kids running around and the moms who chase them, college students, and maybe even a bluegrass band.
What: Fruits, vegetables, plants, herbs, jams, preserves, eggs, cheese, fresh cut flowers, pastas, Uprise Bakery breads, Missouri Legacy beef, and more all grown/​raised/​baked with love within a 55 mile radius of that very spot.
Where: Behind the ARC on the corner of Ash and Clinkscales. Lots of parking, folks.
When: Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to noon.
Why: Because you love waking up to the smell of organic breakfast burritos and you deserve a Saturday morning slice of banana bread. Because you bought that canvas tote bag and by golly you want to fill it up. Because you LOVE fresh basil and some Unilocaler named Chelsea B. said they have the best blackberries she has EVER tasted and you want to try them, too. Because it really is fresh and local, it isn’t shipped in on a diesel-​fueled truck from Chile, these are nice people doing right by the world, and you want to support it. Well go you.

This is a great little farmers market. I went every Saturday. Baked goods, fruits, veggies, jams, honey, meat, eggs, mushrooms, etc They have a lot for a smaller venue. I love grabbing a breakfast burrito while I shop.

Word on the streets is the fine citizens of CoMo are working on getting a permanent structure for their market.
For a smaller, middle Missouri town, Columbia rocks. The CoMo market (unlike its big sister, Soulard Market in STL) has actual guidelines for growers who want to sell their produce in the market. This has fostered a wonderful grassroots collective of local farmers who are also food activists who don’t utilize chemical pesticides.
The market offers a variety of items including potted flowers, baked goods, exotic produce and those good ol’ stand bys we Missourians can identify. Just be sure to wear your walkin’ shoes because it can get a little muddy, and bring your reusable bags!
Keep fighting for that permanent structure, CoMo! I’m rootin’ for you!

Open Saturday mornings and Monday and Wednesday early evenings, this is a great source for inexpensive local produce, meat, baked goods, etc. It’s particularly wonderful for sweet corn and peaches, two summer produce items that are best when they’re only a day or two old.
It’s also a good source for plants in the early season, if you’re a gardener.

I’m down.

This great farmer’s market is open every Saturday throughout the summer. The produce is fantastic, and there are also sellers of other items, like focaccia bread, jellies, flowers, etc. A great place to stop if you’ll be in town.