Flowers, herbs, plants, fruits, vegetables, and eggs line up in vendor stalls at the farmer’s markets. As folks seek out nutritious natural foods, the weekly outdoor markets display the freshest locally-grown produce plucked dripping ripe the morning of market day.
In the past decade, local markets have nearly doubled to 4,385 nationwide. Whitefish has not only joined this national trend, but gone one step beyond in doubling to two. With one on Tuesdays and the other on Thursdays, the local farmer’s markets are far from two peas in a pod. They are such a different, colorful experiences that you may opt to hit both in the same week.
On Tuesdays beginning May 29 through September 25, the downtown market brings together 65 vendors to display their wares on Central Avenue between Depot and Railway in front of O’Shaughnessy Center. With the addition of music, food, crafts, soap, photography, jewelry, baked goods, desserts, and even organic meats, it transforms into a weekly entertainment event from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. You can buy dinner goodies and sit on the grass at the adjacent park while listening to music. Pick up one of the market’s fleet of red wagons to cart veggies to your car.
On Thursdays through the end of September, the Dirty Hands Garden Club hosts their market in the Pin and Cue parking Lot on Highway 93. Out of the backs of trucks from 20 or so vendors, the market sells green beans, red tomatoes, sweet onions, corn, potatoes, and squash from 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. It’s a market that specializes in pickling cucumbers, bedding plants, and basil for making mounds of pesto.
Whitefish farmer’s markets are the best places to find cracking-crisp carrots and the mintiest mint leaves. Hit both markets for double fresh.