The annual Grove City Farmers’ Market brings a huge produce department smack into the heart of downtown Grove City Ohio. The Farmers’ Market is sponsored by the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce. Each year it begins on the second Saturday in July and continues through the second Saturday in September. It starts at 8 AM on each respective Saturday and runs until Noon. The market is situated in the Town Center on Broadway.
Let me start by saying that Downtown Grove City is a mix Old World Country and Small Town USA and could not be a better setting for the farmers’ market. The number of vendors varies from week to week, however, on average there are well over 20 different merchants.
This past Saturday there were about 25 vendors selling freshly picked produce. Yellow and white sweet corn could be found for $3.50 to $4.00 a dozen. I picked up a half dozen and cooked them with a few hours of returning home. The kernels were crisp and buttery tasting. In addition to the yellow and white corn, vendors carried silver queen, bread and butter and just plain yellow.
Cucumbers were in abundance at 3 for $1.00; very good in a cucumber salad with lite Italian dressing. Tomatoes were everywhere at $1.00 a pound. I purchased 3 pounds of half-runner beans for $6.00. What a pain these are to de-string and break, but it is all worth it for the unique, hearty flavor they have. Green and yellow peppers ranged from 2 or 3 for $1.00. Fresh peaches, apples, plums, melons, raspberries and the lot could be purchased at nominal costs. One particular vendor had quart containers of HUGE blackberries for $6.50.
Produce is not the only staple to be found at the Grove City Farmers’ Market. Many of the farmers make their own bread; banana, zucchini, and whole wheat bread to name a few. I picked up a 1-pound loaf of sun dried tomato bread for $2.00 and toasted it to compliment my Sunday morning coffee (with the newspaper on the patio).
Homemade butter jams, vinegars, jellies, and honey were offered, with many available for free samples. One of the more exotic items was steak sauce, about 20 different variants in all. The very friendly “sauce-chef” offered samples with crackers.
Unfortunately many of the merchants do not have signs or flyers to identify themselves. Only 2 had business cards. This makes it a bit difficult to return to a particular vendor if you find an item that you want to buy in the future. The two vendors that did have business cards were Circle S Farms (Grove City, Ohio) and Fannin Brothers Farms (Ashville, Ohio).
For more information, call the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce at 614-875-9762.
