Louisville, KY

One of the things I loved when I visited Paris many years ago was the open air markets and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available on a daily basis. Visiting a farmer’s market is one of the best ways to find the same experience in Louisville. On the KentuckyProud website there are twelve different farmer’s markets listed as being open in Louisville. This past Saturday I decided to stop by the one that was closest to where I live, near St. Matthews.

The St. Matthew’s farmer’s market is located at 4100 Shelbyville Road, across from the old Sears building (for those of you that have lived in Louisville for a while).It had about 30 tents with various local food and products available and is open from 8am to 12pm on Saturdays. There was live music and several tables and chairs so that you could enjoy a fresh omelet or some kettle corn. Plenty of parking is available in the lot behind the church, and the market was busy but not overcrowded. I did not have to wait more than a few minutes to be helped at any given tent.

There were the standard food offerings such as green beans, cantaloupes, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, peppers, garlic, beets, and cabbage. I bought two of my favorites, corn and tomatoes, and then tired a bunch of fresh celery. This celery was thinner and greener than the variety I normally buy at the grocery, but it had a richer flavor. The corn and tomatoes were delicious. I also went out on a limb and tried both purple cauliflower and purple peppers. The cauliflower’s taste was just slightly spicier than normal cauliflower and the purple pepper tasted similar to a green paper. However they both added a great visual effect to a salad I made on Sunday.

The farmer’s market also showcased several vendors that made their own jams, jellies, and salsa in a variety of flavors. I bought a large bottle of local raw clover honey and it is exquisite. I am planning on going back and stocking up since the recent disappearance of honeybees will most likely cause a severe shortage of local honey.

There were also vendors who had their own soaps and shampoos, and several who had gorgeous flower and plants for sale. One vendor had homemade cakes and breads for sale (with free samples) and another had various local wood products. Several vendors had various local meat products for sale, either frozen or by order. I saw quite a number of dogs with their owners, so pets (leashed of course) were obviously welcome.

Overall I thought this farmer’s market was well worth the trip and very enjoyable. It was large enough to have plenty of selection and the prices were very reasonable. I spent $10 of my large jar of honey and only $6 on my vegetables. My one complaint would be that most of the vendors were using plastic bags to put purchases in. I would suggest that you bring your own bags and eliminate that negative environmental impact.

I am going to try out some of the city’s other farmer’s markets over the next few weekends, so let me know which is your favorite and what product and products you would recommend.

Farmer’s Market, St.Matthews, honeybees, local produce