Great place to buy local produce and goodies. Highly recommended to everyone in Iowa Cityread more

You will ask yourself how I can write a mostly negative review of one of the best Farmer's Market…read morearound and still give it 4 stars. So I will explain. The Downtown Farmer's Market is a outstanding venue and is one of the largest in the nation and probably in the state. I have been involved with it every since it first started both as a buyer and as a concessioner. Over the years the market has expanded to extend for many city blocks and attracts vendors from miles around. The downtown market is not a true Farmer's Market in that it allows non-food vendors as well. You will see people selling everything from jewelry to candles; food sellers from local restaurants, wine, clothing, local charities, entertainers, and so on. Among all the vendors are actual produce sellers. A list of most vendors can be found on the Downtown Market website. It is a huge and fabulous Saturday event. And yet I prefer to skip it in favor of other Farmer's Markets which are smaller and more produce oriented for the following reasons. 1. It is VERY crowded. Attendance is high (easily topping 16,000 per Saturday morning) and the jostling and shoving can be overwhelming at times. You will find a lot to purchase but you will leave exhausted. 2. It has become so big that you will find it difficult to find the vendors you really want to buy from among the 220 + vendors. We are talking about 11 streets here and no printed map to guide you. 3. The crowding is aggravated by carts and strollers making it difficult for challenged walkers to navigate. I recommend that seniors try the smaller markets instead. 4. The organizers still have not learned to ban dog walkers. You will have to dodge leases, the infrequent dog fight, and other canine problems. Just think a minute. What would you think if you saw people walking the aisles of the local supermarket with a dog? What we have in the Cedar Rapids Downtown Market is a great market that has gotten a bit too big and needs to be trimmed down. I am a long-time fan of Farmer's Markets and have attended them for many years, long before the downtown market even existed, but my preference is for the smaller markets, which I visit once a week religiously. The downtown market is only an occasional thing.

First off, lets call it what it is people, it's a french market, not a farmers market…read more Supposedly one of the largest 'farmers' markets in the Midwest, and I'd believe it. At least 8 blocks of produce, meat, baked goods, jewelry, crafts, and street food vendors. I didn't check *every* produce vendor but the ones I did notice were all from Iowa. I wish I had a cooler big enough to bring some organic free range chickens raised in Iowa all the way home to Chicago. It's a pity this market is only every other weekend. By 8:30 the streets were packed and a few vendors were running out of green beans and cherries already. Only open till noon so get up early and wander around downtown Cedar Rapids before all the good stuff is gone!

I was recording at the Magic Barn this week and let me tell you when you are in a recording studio…read morefor 12 hours a day sometimes you need a little sunshine and good healthy food! Lucky for me the Iowa Grown Market little roadside market was open! I snagged some Romaine and Spinach from Bethany, who was very sweet and I could tell she was super passionate about her produce that she grew and was super excited to talk about the healthy food she grows! This is about 5 miles north of Iowa City, and totally worth the drive to say hi, and get some veggies that are grown with love!

From the owner: Greenhouse and farm located near West Branch, IA.read more

It seems like the pandemic has taken almost everything from us, doesn't it?…read more Well, I've got good news friends. It didn't take the Iowa City Farmers' Market! Sure, the in-person Market was canceled for the 2020 season due to COVID-19 but the ONLINE Market was open and freaking amazing people. From May through the end of October you could shop local vendors and producers virtually. The community was able to get access to locally grown fresh produce and products contact-free. I am so grateful! I actually feel like I tried MORE things this year because I wasn't so overwhelmed by all the tables and people... or the food trucks. (Don't get me wrong, I miss IRL Farmers Market. But there is something peaceful bout having a grocery list checking it off, tea in hand.) Every Tuesday at noon I'd log on. I'd choose a time to pick up my items. (There were typically four time slots for pickup each Saturday.) On Saturday, I'd drive over to the ramp where the in-person market *typically* is at my time. I'd have my last name in the window with a note of where I'd like my purchase to be placed. (I always opted for my trunk.) They'd have all your items in a labeled bag with your receipt in it. Masked volunteers would put them in your trunk for you-- you'd never leave your car. And that's it! Easy peasy. One week the wrong items were put in my trunk. But I only made it a block away before they called me to come back and get my ACTUAL purchase :) I am so impressed with how smoothly this ran all season. IC Parks & Rec and Field to Family took lemons and made lemonade the 2020 season. Thank you for allowing me to support local during the pandemic!

For the size of the city, it does really well. You can even somehow sometimes find parking which is…read morefree for an hour in the adjacent lot. The only thing that threw me off was the tokens. I thought you had to buy these wooden chips and most places except cash or card so I don't know as I ended up losing Some of my wooden chips. The food options are fine. It's the same vendors you often see at the Iowa football game, jazz festivals, etc.. I chose the morning fix even though I usually get the Asian eggrolls and crab Rangoon's

I've made a few trips to this market over the past several years and I am routinely disappointed…read more Crammed into the Taube Park parking lot, to access the few vendors available, you're dodging car traffic as well as the crowds. It's a weird layout with booths in the lot and the rest down the walkway to the pavilion. (There is a sprawling green area but someone decided to put pedestrians in the way of traffic in the tiniest lot possible?!) My biggest gripe though is the lack of produce... at the FARMERS market. I saw maybe two meat vendors, a honey stand, and someone's grandma selling their nasty home baked goods, while the remaining booths were occupied by the library and random crafters with yard signs and home decor. I'm not against the crafters per se, but they have their own fairs and markets all year round. I feel strongly that farmers markets are an important community resource for farmers and residents alike so this seems like a huge disservice on the organizers' part (particularly so in this economic climate). Until they sort that out, I will continue to skip this market in favor of Hiawatha's market an extra 10 minutes across town where they have actual produce and foodstuffs for sale.

Even though it was the early growing season (second weekend in May), the FM was packed full of…read morevendors. There were a couple of honey purveyors, food trucks (must get a breakfast burrito from Cottonwood Canyon), artisans, and plant vendors. We did buy mushrooms, asparagus, honey, and a beeswax candle.

If you hate the crowds at the downtown CR market, this is the one for you. It has much of the same…read morestuff without the double-wide strollers and stepping on poor dogs. The vendors are always kind and good to work with.

This is a small family friendly farmers/ fresh air market with multiple vendors selling fresh…read morevegetables such as tomatoes, asparagus, and rhubarb, along with small bakers selling fresh homemade breads, and pastries, along with fresh jellies and jams and of course, local honey. In addition, there's a woodcarver making whimsical signs for the front of your home and Lawn. There are prepared food vendors such as breakfast sandwiches and seasoned jerk chicken and pork. The vendors are friendly and eager to convince you their products are the freshest and best. It's in an open air parking lot with plenty of walking space for pedestrians along with their furry friends. There's plenty of parking in the parking lots as well as along the street. It's a great early morning Sunday adventure. The market is seasonal, May through October, and only open from 10 AM and not before, until 1 PM on SUNDAY.

Sometimes you want free, wholesome family fun…read more Kroul Farm is a hidden gem of a pumpkin patch just a dozen miles down the road from Wilson's Apple Orchard. They've got chickens, bunnies and cows, OH MY! Fun photo ops and a corn maze. All free of charge. There are big pumpkins and small pumpkins, white ones and even warty ones. Mums. Squash. Knick knacks. Treats. Everything you'd expect and want! We got our decent sized pumpkin for $6. We had a blast of distanced, outdoor fun. I am ashamed as a Iowa City native that I had never set foot on this farm. (Only enjoyed it virtually earlier this spring.) This will be our go-to pumpkin getting spot for years to come!

Have only gotten firewood from here twice and is a super easy process. Will be trying the market…read morethey have soon