Lauren D.
Yelp
I appreciate the fact that this market is open into the early evening hours. This is really wonderful especially for people who work full-time during the week. This market features a myriad of produce items, many kinds of breads and excellent meat vendors. This Farmer's Market features a rotation of vendors (merchants), which s a great way to give new vendors an opportunity to participate every other week. You will see items, such as, baked goodies and fresh real fruit jams. Due to the "rotation" of vendors (merchants) you may not see a specific vendor the following week. One vendor that I was very happy to see this year was "Black Garlic North America" which offers aged, fermented garlic which has a sweet, delicate taste and balances most dishes perfectly. I love using this garlic in different meats as well as using it sparingly in salads, grilled salmon or broiled Talapia. I also purchased some organic vegetables and fruits. I even found corn, which is very hard to find at a Farmer's Market. Picked up a few ears for my husband who loves corn on the cob. This Farmer's Market is open through October 15, 2014 and every Wednesday from 3 to 7 pm. Gotta love it!
Due to "space" this is not a huge Farmer's Market, however, it has some wonderful items. I like the size of this market, because it doesn't take long to get through the entire market and hit up most of the vendors here. I have been to many, many Farmer's Market over the years and most close by early afternoon. On the other hand, this Farmer's Market is open until 7 or 8 pm (depending upon the day of the week and time of month). This year the market opened two-weeks early, which was very exciting for those of us who enjoy a great Farmer's Market.
There are nearly 30 vendors offering everything from fresh-cut flowers, wonderful bottles of wine to a myriad of cheese to honey and including fresh lamb, delicious ripe fruits and unique vegetables. If you enjoy tea in the fall and winter time (or year round) you must check out the gourmet tea vendors. There are pies, gourmet pasta sauce and unique salsas that you may not find any where else. I noticed some people brought their knives (yes, you heard correctly) -- knives -- and someone will sharpen your knives for FREE while you walk around the Farmer's Market and shop till you drop!
I met Brady Bradine at the Farmer's Market. This is his fourth year being a vendor at the market. He sells all-natural, whole grain baked goods, which I can appreciate but can no longer eat. For example, Brady sells cookies, cupcakes, muffins and brownies from his bakery located in Oak Park, IL (it is called "B True Bakery"). I didn't purchase any items from the "B True Bakery" but my friend purchased a cupcake and cookie for her husband. I gave up sweets and anything that contains sugar, but I do admit my mouth was watering and everything looked fantastic and smelled super fresh. My friend rated the cupcake with 4-stars (as she ate it while we were walking around the market). Her husband enjoyed the cookie and said it was "very, very good." He didn't rate the cookie. However, he inhaled the cookie very quickly so I will take this to mean that maybe the cookie was/is 4 or 5-star worthy.
If you have not been to a Farmer's Market this Summer, get your ass over to Berwyn Avenue (between Clark and Ashland Avenue) and treat yourself. This is their sixth year. I love a good Farmer's Market, and appreciate that they also offer organic products that will not break your budget. I also appreciate that they accept credit cards, debit and LINK cards which makes it very convenient for everyone to shop at this Farmer's Market. Some of the other Farmer's Market that I have shopped at this Summer are "cash only" but not the Andersonville Farmer's Market. Out of all the Farmer's Market that I have been to this Summer this is one of my favorite markets. It is such a great community of people and the vendors are fantastic and sell quality top-notch products. It is affordable so I can purchase healthy organic items for a lot less than I would pay at Whole Foods! Check out this market before it ends. You will not be disappointed!
Hhhhm, I am not sure why someone voted this review as "Funny." Strange.