Happy Wednesday! Don’t have time to grow your own food? That’s okay! There are plenty of farmers markets in our own city that feature all kinds of fresh, local produce. All of the ones on this list are within 3 miles of the University of Rochester and span across 5 different weekdays, so you can go get some locally grown produce whenever you have time. Try out new recipes with the foods you buy and even consider canning to preserve some of it for later.
U of R Market
Day & Hours of Operation: Wednesdays from 3 to 6 pm
Address: Saunders Research Building
Distance from U of R: on campus
Extra Information: Located in Saunders through July 15th; moves back to Flaum on July 22nd
Website: http://www.rochester.edu/working/hr/wellness/market/
Westside Farmers Market
Day & Hours of Operation: Tuesdays from 4 to 7:30 pm
Address: 831 Genesee St. (St. Monica’s Church)
Distance from U of R: about 1 mile from footbridge
Extra Information: Accept EBT, SNAP, MC, and Visa; Food trucks on site
Website: http://www.westsidemarketrochester.com/
Rochester Public Market
Days & Hours of Operation: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 am to 1 pm, and Saturdays from 5 am to 3 pm
Address: 280 North Union St.
Distance from U of R: within 3 miles
Extra Information: Saturdays feature the most vendors for more options
Take UR Orange Line to Eastman Living Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays (only 1 mile walk)
Website: http://www.cityofrochester.gov/publicmarket/
Brighton Farmers Market
Day & Hours of Operation: Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm
Address: 1150 Winton Rd. South (Brighton HS Parking Lot)
Distance from U of R: within 3 miles
Extra Information: R Community Bikes is on site the first Sunday of each month to collect donations of used bikes and bike gear to be given to community members in need.
Website: http://www.brightonfarmersmarket.org/
South Wedge Farmers Market
Day & Hours of Operation: Thursdays from 4 to 7 pm
Address: 100 Alexander St. at S. Clinton
Distance from U of R: about 1 mile
Extra Information: Take UR Orange Line to South and Alexander
Website: http://www.swfm.org/
Monroe Village Farmers Market
Day & Hours of Operation: Wednesdays from 4 to 7 pm
Address: 726 Monroe Ave (Blessed Sacrament Church)
Distance from U of R: about 2 miles
Extra Information: Take UR Orange Line to Monroe and Alexander
Website: http://www.monroevillagefarmersmarket.org/
Local food is great because:
- it’s fresh!
- it supports local farmers and the local economy
- fresh fruits and veggies are healthy and affordable
- less transportation is necessary to move the food from the farm to your kitchen (which means less fossil fuels are burned as well)
- you can usually talk to the farmers directly and ask them questions
- you can learn about what grows well in New York
So get out to one (or more) of the local farmers markets this week and experience the interesting people, smells, sounds, and tastes that Rochester has to offer.
Written by Mariah Greico, Class of 2018
Photo by Mariah Greico: Rochester Public Market
