Great place to buy local produce and goodies. Highly recommended to everyone in Iowa Cityread more

Finally made it to the Farmers Market for the 7th inning of summer....I paired Wild Kombucha…read morerecommended iced coffee with a breakfast bowl from Caribbean kitchen...I love this point in summer because I have more time to explore everything Iowa City has to offer....and I feel "home" at the Market. I've learned guys with baseball gear will always help you and anyone wearing the black & gold can be trusted. After breakfast, I grabbed a new item from Barb's Garden & Pantry (home of my favorite maple bars) (whoopie pies also look good), puppy chow from JC Organic farm (free range organic eggs), and my favorite breakfast pastry from Valerie's French cooking and learned a little French:). (French kidding!). I did have to wait in some lines...but when you wait....you know something is good once you get there...Excited to see what I find next week:).

For the size of the city, it does really well. You can even somehow sometimes find parking which is…read morefree for an hour in the adjacent lot. The only thing that threw me off was the tokens. I thought you had to buy these wooden chips and most places except cash or card so I don't know as I ended up losing Some of my wooden chips. The food options are fine. It's the same vendors you often see at the Iowa football game, jazz festivals, etc.. I chose the morning fix even though I usually get the Asian eggrolls and crab Rangoon's

This was a great, little stop right off of I-80 to pick up some tasty, handheld food that's…read morehandmade, and infinitely better than most other similar options. We got a six-pack of four different empanada types (beef, pork, chicken, and breakfast), and ate them on the road.

Omg so good! How did I never know about this place? Very friendly service and great prices! Plenty…read moreof flavors and they make it FAST. I only wish there was dinner-in. I love this DE-LISH-OUS

I was recording at the Magic Barn this week and let me tell you when you are in a recording studio…read morefor 12 hours a day sometimes you need a little sunshine and good healthy food! Lucky for me the Iowa Grown Market little roadside market was open! I snagged some Romaine and Spinach from Bethany, who was very sweet and I could tell she was super passionate about her produce that she grew and was super excited to talk about the healthy food she grows! This is about 5 miles north of Iowa City, and totally worth the drive to say hi, and get some veggies that are grown with love!

From the owner: Greenhouse and farm located near West Branch, IA.read more

So many food trucks to choose from and they all smell terrific! Prices are reasonable. Also so much…read morefresh veggies, beautiful plants and fun locally made crafts. Service of vendors vary with most being above average. Loved the market it's a must visit!

There are some unique gems like hand crafted candles, some baked goods and some "trinkets" that…read morelook really cool, just not something I need. There was a gentleman performing solo music that was fun to sit and listen. Front Street brewing has a stand here - and each of the two times I've purchased a beverage (different trips), I have had a less than enjoyable interface with the team staffing the cart. Turns me off to FSB to be honest. The produce is over priced for the most part but I do enjoy fresh and tasty tomatoes as well as sweet corn. To me the pricing would be ok if it was for organic produce. But we all know this is sprayed and probably GMO. That said, it makes for a fun few hours. Park area for the kids to enjoy, as well as a petting zoo.

Fun place for apple-picking and buying delicious apple products (recommend the sparkling apple…read morecider and apple donuts). The orchard is huge, with plenty of room to roam and apple tree varieties to choose from, mostly honey crisp, but also crimson crisp, Jonagold, fuji, and gala. Admission is $5 per person and we paid $22 for a two-person you-pick peck. Which was more than enough for us! Cons: Parking was an issue (it was a weekend) with unclear traffic flow through the lot...and it became progressively more busy later in the day.

This was a most lovely orchard experience from start to finish. I began with a visit inside the…read morefarm market, which had fresh apples; frozen applesauce and pies; chilled apple cider + cans of their alcoholic ciders; and merchandise + gifts. Make your way to the register, and you can purchase donuts and turnovers as well as your u-pick bags. I made my apple turnover ala mode, which was worthwhile, and savored it outside overlooking the orchard. So picturesque! After my apple treat, I was ready to pick and made my way to the orchard. Expect some hill climbing and pretty scenery between the apple trees and flower fields. I imagine the trek could be more challenging for families with young ones. Wilson's boasts 100 varieties of apples, one of the reasons I visited the orchard in the first place. At the end of September, I filled my bags with two varieties I had never heard of, which was fun. The rows were well-marked with the apples that were ready for picking as well as the name of the variety. More importantly, the apples were delicious. Overall, I'm very happy I spent a morning here, and I imagine just about anyone else will feel similarly.

You will ask yourself how I can write a mostly negative review of one of the best Farmer's Market…read morearound and still give it 4 stars. So I will explain. The Downtown Farmer's Market is a outstanding venue and is one of the largest in the nation and probably in the state. I have been involved with it every since it first started both as a buyer and as a concessioner. Over the years the market has expanded to extend for many city blocks and attracts vendors from miles around. The downtown market is not a true Farmer's Market in that it allows non-food vendors as well. You will see people selling everything from jewelry to candles; food sellers from local restaurants, wine, clothing, local charities, entertainers, and so on. Among all the vendors are actual produce sellers. A list of most vendors can be found on the Downtown Market website. It is a huge and fabulous Saturday event. And yet I prefer to skip it in favor of other Farmer's Markets which are smaller and more produce oriented for the following reasons. 1. It is VERY crowded. Attendance is high (easily topping 16,000 per Saturday morning) and the jostling and shoving can be overwhelming at times. You will find a lot to purchase but you will leave exhausted. 2. It has become so big that you will find it difficult to find the vendors you really want to buy from among the 220 + vendors. We are talking about 11 streets here and no printed map to guide you. 3. The crowding is aggravated by carts and strollers making it difficult for challenged walkers to navigate. I recommend that seniors try the smaller markets instead. 4. The organizers still have not learned to ban dog walkers. You will have to dodge leases, the infrequent dog fight, and other canine problems. Just think a minute. What would you think if you saw people walking the aisles of the local supermarket with a dog? What we have in the Cedar Rapids Downtown Market is a great market that has gotten a bit too big and needs to be trimmed down. I am a long-time fan of Farmer's Markets and have attended them for many years, long before the downtown market even existed, but my preference is for the smaller markets, which I visit once a week religiously. The downtown market is only an occasional thing.

First off, lets call it what it is people, it's a french market, not a farmers market…read more Supposedly one of the largest 'farmers' markets in the Midwest, and I'd believe it. At least 8 blocks of produce, meat, baked goods, jewelry, crafts, and street food vendors. I didn't check *every* produce vendor but the ones I did notice were all from Iowa. I wish I had a cooler big enough to bring some organic free range chickens raised in Iowa all the way home to Chicago. It's a pity this market is only every other weekend. By 8:30 the streets were packed and a few vendors were running out of green beans and cherries already. Only open till noon so get up early and wander around downtown Cedar Rapids before all the good stuff is gone!

Great little spot that shows up at the farmers market every week with delicious little carb laden…read moretoruses covered in either cinnamon and sugar or powdered sugar. The folks working here are super nice and the stuff actually costs about as much as you feel like it should. Half dozen is $2.50 and a dozen are $4. All these little magic dough balls are quite a delight, they do come out at approximately the same temperature as the inside of a fresh hot pocket. As such, it's important to consider the skin on the tips of your fingers and on the roof of your mouth. These rival the cider donuts inside the Farmers Market and really, if you're being honest, you should really just have both!

Super tasty little tiny doughnuts covered in cinnamon sugar. The iced coffee is nice and strong.read more