How to Make the Most of your Market
Arriving early, bringing carry bags, and trading cash for tokens makes market shopping cost-effective, convenient, and fun.
Few shopping experiences are quite so inspired as a trip to the Red Stick Farmers Market, where fresh seasonal produce bursting with flavor beckons from its tidy stalls. Now 26 years in existence, this beloved green market is must-see. A few tips will help make your market outing that much more rewarding.
Tip 1: Arrive early
The Red Stick Farmer’s Market is a producer-only market, meaning all the produce you see at a vendor’s booth was grown on their farm. The selection is at its most robust when the market opens. Produce varies by season, so don’t expect to find corn in December, or strawberries in August. Farmers and producers bring as much supply as possible, but it’s not uncommon for them to run short before the market closes.
Tip 2: No cash? No worries
While all vendors take cash and some take credit cards, BREADA makes life easy for shoppers with its cashless token system. Swipe your credit, debit or SNAP benefits card in exchange for tokens that are accepted by every vendor. Shoppers using SNAP benefits can take advantage of the new Greaux the Good program, which doubles their spending power. “If a SNAP benefits shopper wants $20 worth of tokens, we’ll only charge their SNAP card $10,” Rowland says.
Tip 3: Don’t forget the indoor Main Street Market
A surprising number of shoppers at the Saturday Red Stick Farmers Market have no idea that there are also vendors inside the adjacent Main Street Market, including the popular pork and beef vendor, Cutrer Meats, as well as culinary entrepreneurs testing new products, cookbook authors, and permanent restaurant and retail tenants. Combine your walk through the outdoor bazaar with an exploration of what’s inside, too.
Tip 4: Parking is free
All market locations provide free and convenient parking. The Saturday downtown market is located at the corner of Fifth and Main streets, next to the Galvez Parking Garage, which is open and free during market hours.
Tip 5: Leave Fido at home
It may seem surprising that dogs are not allowed at the Red Stick Farmers Market since it takes place outdoors, but there are good reasons for this request. Not all pooches are perfectly behaved, especially in tight quarters where they might bump into friendly five-year-olds or other dogs whose owners were also unaware of the rule. And no vendor manning a table of fresh food wants to become “marked territory.” So please, focus on your shopping and leave your four-legged friends at home.
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