COLUMBIA, S.C. — It is opening season for local farmers markets where you can find good deals on locally grown produce, eggs, meats and more. Take advantage of South Carolina’s seasonal produce -- use the Certified South Carolina link to see what's in season now -- at one of the multiple farmers markets in the area.
MONDAYS
- Toms Creek Family Farms Mobile Market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Hyatt Park, 950 Jackson Ave.
TUESDAYS
- Brookland-Lakeview Farmers Market NE. 4-7 p.m., 1203 Summit Pkwy
WEDNESDAYS
- The Market at Richland Library, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Richland Library Main, 1431 Assembly St. through October. Customers will need to bring their own bags for their purchases
- Toms Creek Family Farms Mobile Market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Greenview Park, 6700 David St.
- Forest Acres Farmers Market, 2-6 p.m. Gills Creek Memorial Park, 24 Forest Lake Place
- Blythewood Farmers Market, 4-7 p.m. Doko Meadows Park, 171 Langford Rd.
THURSDAYS
- Toms Creek Family Farms Mobile Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Edgewood Library, 2101 Oak St.
- Owens Field Farmers Market, 4-7 p.m. 1402 Jim Hamilton Blvd. outside Hunter-Gatherer Hangar
- The Lake Carolina Farmers Market, 3-7 p.m. Lake Carolina Market Park, 5 Lake Carolina Way, opens April 18
SATURDAYS
- Soda City Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the 1300-1600 blocks of Main Street, Columbia open year round
- Kershaw County Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to noon, 906 Broad St., Camden, open April 15 through November 19
- The Market at Icehouse, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Icehouse Amphitheater Pavilion, 107 West Main St., Lexington
MORE (PERMANENT) MARKETS & ROADSIDE STANDS
- Cayce Farmers Market, 2329 Charleston Hwy., Cayce. Open seven days a week. Boiled p-nuts are a specialty.
- Farmers Market Xchange, 912 Lady St., Columbia
- Four Oaks Farm Country Store, 4856 Augusta Rd., Lexington, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Heritage Fields Farm, 10259 Broad River Rd., Irmo, call ahead for hours, 803-764-7280
- James Sease Farms, 3967 Augusta Hwy., Gilbert, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
- Livingston Farms "The Shack," 1424 Southbound Rd., Swansea, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday
- Ringo's Produce Market, 10545 Garners Ferry Rd., Eastover, 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, (803) 783-0108
- South Carolina State Farmers Market, 3483 Charleston Hwy., West Columbia. Open year-round, peak season for locally grown produce and bulk produce is April through October.
Another way to access fresh produce is to sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share. CSAs allow you to purchase a share of the crops grown on a local farm. You pick the size of the share (usually small, medium or large), the frequency (some are weekly, monthly or full season with different subscriptions for spring and fall harvests), your pick-up location, and pay in advance. This is a great way to support local growers and producers and take advantage of locally grown foods.
- Bushels and Bags Farm, Ridgeway
- FoodShare has Fresh Food Boxes and a No Cook Box option which includes produce that doesn’t require cooking before eating. Each Fresh Food Box has a recipe card with suggestions on how to use the produce in the box
- Gruber Family Farm, St. George, has pick-up locations in Columbia, Irmo, Lexington, and Orangeburg
- Hollywood/Rose Hill CSA features produce from Organically Rowland and Greenleaf farms
You can check to see what produce is in season in South Carolina by going to the Certified SC website. April is the season for blueberries, strawberries, asparagus, sugar snap peas, mixed greens and lettuces.
NOTE: This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. If we have left any market out, email news19@wltx.com with the information.
