Culpeper Farmers Market

The Culpeper Farmers Market, open Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon from the end of April to mid-​November, is a friendly & delightful place to stop by & do some local shopping. It’s rare that I ever skip a Saturday morning there. In fact, this morning had me lugging home bags of baby Rainbow Swiss Chard, baby Tatsoi greens, & a type of baby Asian lettuce; some lovely apples; heirloom tomatoes; green beans; baby white potatoes; mixed colors of bell peppers — I’m sure I’ve left something out, but you get the picture.
There’s a fairly wide diversity of products available — while the majority of vendors are selling fruit & vegetables (some certified organic), there are also several local honey vendors, a smattering of fresh local meat producers (beef, pork, poultry, lamb — even goat sometimes!), eggs, both cut & potted flowers, baked goods, preserves, herbs/​spices, a few arts/​crafts, & even a local mushroom grower. During the spring months, there are plenty of garden plants & heirloom vegetable seedlings for sale, & during the summer, there are even a few cooked food vendors now & then, serving anything from grilled items to Indian fare.
If there’s one gripe I have, it’s that I find it doubtful that all of the vendors are actually selling what I’d consider «local» produce; I’d swear that a few vendors — & it’s fairly easy to spot which ones — are bringing in produce from Lord knows where. But I know which vendors are, in fact, local & honest (they’re easy to spot), so make a point to purchase from them exclusively.
Bottom line — very nice spot to while away a Saturday morning & pick up some healthy locally-​grown produce for the following week’s meals.