Saint Paul Farmers’ Market

I only get here once to twice a year. I’m not much of a morning person. My GF dragged me here today. She loaded up on fresh herbs and other «green stuff». I found local made BBQ sauce, fresh honey, fresh made beef jerky and local meats such as grass fed steaks. My food eats her green stuff. :D Oh and chocolates for dessert!

Great Farmer’s market! The difference between this one and the Mpls Farmer’s market is that all vendors here have to sell only locally grown produce. You won’t see oranges or bananas sold here. There are a few vendors that sell organic produce.
Meter parking is free on Sundays and if you come early enough, parking is no problem. Come later and you’ll have to walk quite a bit but it’s still worth it.
You’ll find locally produced meats, eggs, cheese, honey and craft items like soaps and lotions. There are food vendors here as well if you get hungry/​thirsty. Then of course depending on the season, you’ll find a variety of vegetables and fruits.
Tip: Bring cash as 95% of the vendors take cash only. EBT is accepted as well. I would highly recommend going through each stall once to see what’s available and prices and then go back to purchase.

Great flowers and we like amazing fresh produce. But difficult to find street parking finally I got it after 20 min.
Awesome bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, spinach and meat… I love all thanks to farmers market.

Love that they are strictly fresh and local! That’s what keeps me coming back. This is the best farmers market in the twin cities!

When I first moved to the cities almost 11 years ago, I didn’t know this place existed until the family I lived with took me there. I was in awwww… like wow this place is amazing with fresh produce. Since then I have been coming here a lot! I enjoy coming here when I run out of tomato, eggplant, bell peppers and chemical-​free garlic. They have other vegetables, too. I think it is a great place to get flowers as well because they are cheap, from $ 5 to $ 8. Bringing your own bag is helpful, too.
It gets packed during the weekend so get there early. If you are not a morning person, they serve coffee too. They only take CASH. There’s ATM machine available. People there are very friendly. A great place overall!
Meter parking is free on Sundays.

We had a great time! There was so much to look at, we had a great time. Two things: make sure to bring a lot of cash, small bills. Also, be patient there are so many people, Go Early! Can’t stress that enough, the closer it gets to closing the more people they get. Other than that we loved it and will defiantly be back next week! Cauliflower as big as your head is an awesome buy, cucumbers as big as your four arm. Fresh Organic produce was wonderful. Oh! Don’t forget a bag to put all of your purchases in, we forgot ours and could have totally used one.

I love the Saint Paul Farmers’ Market. I love everything about Minneapolis (where I currently reside), but I have mad envy that St Paul definitely has the BEST farmers market in the area. It’s probably ¹⁄₃ of the size of the Minneapolis Farmers’ Market (on Lyndale), but the variety of goods blows Minneapolis out of the water. Not all vegetables and flowers— lots of delicious meat and cheese places, and baked goods. I also love the soap place «White Bear Soap Company» that sells here. My only complaint is that they don’t have an ATM.

This is a great market. We went here with a $ 25 budget and got: rhubarb, rainbow chard, potatoes, radishes, mint, basil, thai basil, fresh bakery buns, snap peas, zucchini, onions. It wasn’t too crowded, the atmosphere was lovely, and the market itself was much more focused on the food they were selling than, say, fancy jams. Though you can get that too, in a few places.
Yes, most vendors have more or less the same things. That’s because that’s how seasons work. You’ll find the odd vendor with later-​season asparagus or whatever, but mostly farmers in southern MN are harvesting zucchini and so on at the same time. The prices are good and there’s enough variety to make wandering worth it. :)

What sets this market apart from others is
(1) a sense of permanency with covered aisles and dedicated structures
(2) its setting amidst historic warehouse buildings in lowertown St. Paul
(3) the variety of produce reflecting generations of immigrants in the upper midwest, from German to local Hmong farmers who cultivate Asian vegetables
(4) a sense of community pride and confidence in the Twin Cities, reflected in economic and social well-​being
(5) a vast array of cut flower bouquets in the summer – dazzling to the eye
There are about 4 aisles chock-​full of vendors with excellent fresh produce, meats, cheeses, soaps, and artisanal food products like chocolate sauce and mustards. The produce includes chinese broccoli and Asian gourds not easy to find outside specialty Asian markets. Samples offered throughout the market are fun to try. Breakfast offerings include great wurst, vegetarian Cai Guon (Vietnamese spring rolls) and bagel sandwiches. Excellent live roots music acts provide ambience.
I’ve realized that all farmers markets make me feel good, but that this one feels special; likely due to the dedication displayed by both farmers and customer base. It’s full of home-​town, yet understated spirit. Its been featured on documentaries about Farmers Markets in the country, in recognition of its special status.
Right adjacent are bookstores and antique stores near the Twin Cities Light Rail stop, and future Amtrak Station. Also adjacent is the new Saints stadium.
This is really a gem of a market and makes me feel extra good.

The Saint Paul Farmers The St. Paul Farmers Market makes me feel better than Free Willy after he was set free from the tank. The St. Paul Farmers Market prime time is early June through late September. There’s plenty of free street parking at designated meters (read the sings), as well as a great variety of produce, meat/​dairy, flowers and yummy local goods. The Farmers Market is easily accessible by car, bus, light rail and next to the Saint Paul Saints Stadium (CHS Field). The earlier you get to the Farmers Market the better; more parking and the «better» produce and plants/​flowers available.
Tips & Tricks:
Crowd Wise, the market gets a little busier around 10:30 AM
Bring Cash
EBT Accepted
Street Parking, Ramps and Surface Lots close by
Location: Lowertown Saint Paul. Next to the Saint Paul Saints Stadium, Union Depot and Mears Park
Price: Typically cheaper than most chain grocery or chain stores. I suggest walking around the Market once to scope out prices and quality
Market makes me feel better than

Was down at the st paul farmers market and found the best beef jerky. Yes it was the jerky lady. Next time you go to st paul farmers maket look for her and try it.

The downtown farmer’s market in St. Paul is always a joy to visit. It is nice having a layout with the roof over the walkway, and parking (I use the Union Depot ramp off Kellogg) is close by. If you are lucky enough to take a bus or light rail, those are just a block away, perhaps 2 if you walk from the bus.
The selection of vendors is good, even in the winter when the market goes indoors. There are frozen items, jarred sauces and salsa, quilts and cheeses, meats of all sorts, and plants and vegetables.
It is still largely a cash operation, so you may want to visit your favorite ATM before you visit. Also, bring your own bags if you like.
If you want to avoid being hungry before buying stuff, there are some ready-​to-​eat options there, which you could visit first. A hot-​dog and bratwurst cart is always on the southeast corner, with very tasty wares.
Keep in mind that the produce is seasonal. While the weather may be nice enough to visit, it may not have been nice enough for long enough for crops to have grown to the point of harvest.
It is also a good idea to walk the whole market first, noting the prices of various items, because you will then know if you are getting the best price for the quality you want. There can be a many-​dollar range for the same amount of some produce from different vendors, but quality or individual size of the produce may be the deciding factor.

I really enjoy going to the Farmers Market in St Paul. There are so many vendors/​local farmers to choose from. Recently we bought fresh steak and chicken along with honey. There are quite a few options as far as fresh flowers, veggies, jerky, honey, meat, eggs, and few odds and ends too. Nice way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning

BEST market in the Twin Cities! (And it’s not even close!) All locally grown foods and now reachable via the Green Line light-​rail! One tip: bring cash as only a few venders – like Bar-​5 meats, accepts plastic.

As a former regular at the Minneapolis Farmers Market on Lyndale, I can honestly say that what the Saint Paul Farmers Market lacks in variety by comparison, it more than makes up for in quaintness and quality. Great quality vegetables, and nice options for snacks if you get hungry. Definitely stop over at Romocky’s Brats cart across the street and get the bacon wrapped brat. Jeah.

Enjoyed scanning what’s offered at the Farmers Market before we made our purchases. Prices were much better than Kowalskis and veggies appeared freshly picked from the MN farms. I am def a fan and may be thinking of menu ideas for the week as we frequent here weekly to support our local farmers while having quality product for the dollar spent. example: $ 1 mint, $ 3 – 4 basket of peppers, $ 1 baby bokchoy bunch, $ 2 baby creamers.
We even stopped by to have a spring roll $ 2 as a quick snack, which was fresh and hit the quick craving we needed to HS us over for brunch.

Don’t shy away because it is downtown – it’s St. Paul! There are barely any cars!
Don’t stress about parking. The first 2 hours of street parking are free during Farmers Market hours. That’s plenty of time. There are parking lots and ramps nearby on 6^th St, but why give them your $ 5 you could be spending on yummy-​ness instead???
Do bring cash or use your EBT card at the token booth. Some vendors take credit cards, but it costs them at least 5% of your purchase to accept that credit card… So, please be nice and bring cash if you can.
Definitely walk all the way around the market and check prices and quality before you choose to buy. You may find most items for the same pricing, but the quality and quantity for the same price can vary dramatically! You can especially find great deals on the lower shelves in front in the bulk baskets. Last week I bought a whole gallon sized bucket of mini cukes for only $ 4!
The cut flowers are amazing and your assistant at work deserves some Monday morning… So do you. :)
My only wishes are that the market be open at least 1 day during mid-​week, and that they be open later in the day as well, say until 4pm. Oh– and have hydroponic farmers in the winter!!! Then I would never have to step foot in a commercial grocery store!

I love the offerings. I love the location. I particularly love the organic vendors!
I appreciate that this market is sheltered, so the vendors aren’t in tents. It’s much more open and has a community feel.
I am impressed at how many accept credit cards (which does, admittedly, cause me to purchase more).
I love the food vendors and had the most amazing bagel sandwich!
What I don’t love is the parking situation. I don’t know if it’s because of construction right now, but I was just there, and the closest parking I could find was a lot that wanted to charge me $ 8, even on a Saturday morning.

I love this market! I love coming here Saturday mornings, while the sun is still warming the air, w/​my hot cup of coffee in my hand, grabbing all my weekly meats and produce, then sitting down to eat a bagel sandwich from Golden’s Deli.
I’ve been frequenting the same vendors for eggs & chicken, beef, pork & bread. It’s harder for the vendors to recognize the same faces in a sea of thousands, but it’s happening to me, slowly. I strike up conversation w/​the same few vendors every week and love to see them back.
My favorite meat guy recently GAVE my boyfriend and I a big slab of uncut bacon, yes, GAVE. He is an amazing meat purveyor and his products never disapoint. The eggs, bread, chicken all taste so amazingly good. You can tell these animals were loved, that the bread was baked fresh. Nothing tastes like it was flown 1,500 miles away and dropped off here. Everything we eat from the market tastes so superior to anything I’ve purchased at a grocery store.
Despite lowertown’s constant construction, we still manage to find parking. The nicer weather is a great opportunity for a walk, once winter comes, it’ll be indoor shopping, which is fine by me.
I love the St. Paul Farmer’s market, I’m a customer for life!

This is a good market! The vegetable and meat selection are better than any other fm I have been to in the area and the fact that it is open Saturday and Sunday is even better. Flowers were great too, go on Sunday around 11am and they are basically giving bouquets away. The set up at the pavilion is just unique and makes it a really cool setting.
Like everyone says it would be cool if there were more street food options, this market doesn’t really have one other than bakery items, kettle corn and beef jerky… Wait a second that actually sounds pretty dang good!

Another 5 star review of course!
This market is amazing, all the produce, herbs, flowers, meats and breads are GORGEOUS. Everything is local (a requirement of the market itself, which is awesome. Minneapolis market is NOT all local, btw.) Great prices, I came home with quite a lot for only $ 17, then spent another $ 10 on the most AMAZING juniper & peppercorn chevre. OMG. It’s so good. Get some honey sticks to suck on while you walk around, it’s a good time!
Some people have mentioned parking can be troublesome, I can see how it could potentially be an annoyance but I have never had an issue with it myself. It’s pretty much all street parking, and it’s metered BUT it’s electric meters and when I go pay for my stall, the machine says it free for the first 2 hours for «Farmer’s Market Special» And I’ve never parked more than a block away.
p. s. bring cash! duh.

The best in town! Better prices and product and you know that everything is either grown or made locally. The rule, be grown or made within 50 miles of the Twin Cities. Unlike the one across the river where you can get whatever, whenever.
Plus I can still get an inexpensive piece of roasted corn… of course, only when in season. Yum!

This market is amazing! Great, fresh, cheap veggies and beautiful flowers, what more could you ask for?! It is second only to Pike Place Market in my book (and that is coming from someone who just moved from Seattle and thinks Pike Place is one of the best places on earth!).
Definitely go check it out, and look at my picture. I got the whole island full for about $ 20!