Clintonville Farmers Market

Buy your food here first!
Bread, Flowers, Bison, Cider, Cheese

I love Farmers Markets, hate the prices! How lucky are we to have a Bison meat vendor at our market?! Yes, it’s pricey, but so darn good and a good alternative to beef. We didn’t have an issue with parking and were actually able to park right on High. We were there around 10AM and when we left around 11AM, the lines and crowds were definitely growing, but not terrible. Stevens Bakery and Orchard pies are scrumptious and NOT too pricey. This was my first visit to the market, so I have a lot of vendors to try out this summer!

I never leave here empty handed so I have two rules.
1) Make a lap around the market before I buy.
2) Bring cash and don’t use a credit card.
The first one lets me see if more than one vendor has an item I want and I get to price things in my head to see what fits into my budget. The second one eliminates the temptation to overspend.

They had a decent selection of fresh vegetables and fruits, but prices were really high at most of the booths. They also had some cool sellers of meats, cheeses, breads, salsas, jams, and syrups to give the market some balance. Despite a variety of sellers though, this was a pretty small farmer’s market and the meat/​cheeses/​breads were all limited in options. Overall it’s a decent farmer’s market but too pricey for the potential increase in quality when you’re paying $ 15−20/pound for cheese, $ 5/​dozen for eggs, or $ 3+/pound for potatoes.

I’ve been a fan of farmer’s markets for years now, and while the Clintonville Market may not be huge, it doesn’t disappoint (in my opinion anyway). The location is pretty acceptable, and I’ve always found that the people are pretty welcoming and helpful. I also appreciate the mix of types of items available from veggies to cheeses to baked goods to hot sauces, and so on.

I have to give the clintonville farmers market five stars. Some reviews have remarked it is smaller than worthington’s, too many people are just chit chatting, and the prices are. Aired or too high. People. It’s a farmers market. By definition, this is a place you want to be able to walk to from home and buy fresher, nicer stuff than from your local supermarket. If you wNt the fastest checkout time and people who are assholes, go to whole foods. If you want to chat with people on Saturday morning or Wednesday afternoon, enjoy some music, have a cup of coffee, go to the farmers market.
They are also working hard to Create events where you meet the farmers (I tapped maple trees!) and give back to e clintonville community.
I love that they sell tokens now either with your debit or EBT card so you don’t have to remember cash – I have a separate farmers market wallet.
When I didn’t live near a farmers market, I would go to north market on Saturdays, andi occasionally went to worthington’s, but clintonville is close, and I never leave wishing for something I couldn’t find.

I wasn’t too impressed with this farmers market. While it is fall most of the vendors sold the same produce; apples, pumpkins, squash, and peppers. Despite the lack of variety the coffee from the Global Gallery was awesome and I stumbled upon some good cheeses. Next time I think I’ll get just head further down High to the Worthington Farmers Market.

I happened on this farmer’s market about 4 years ago and have been a fan since then ~ whether it’s eggs from Oink Moo Cluck, peaches from Branstool Orchards, flowers from Sunny Meadows or anything from Dan the Baker, I have withdrawals if I don’t go. LOVE this market at opening. But if you wait too long, Richard P is correct, you dodge dogs, strollers and long lost friends.

I’ve recently become a weekly regular at this. It’s a great option for people who live near Ohio State. All kinds of fresh produce, which is exactly what I go for. What’s there varies from season to season. Right now it’s mostly veggies, as more fruits come into season as fall grows closer. Farmers markets are perfect if you’re not picky about what you eat and are fine with whatever is in season. And what you’ll get is so much fresher than what you get at a grocery store. In my opinion, this more than makes up for the higher prices.
Other Unilocalers have said this isn’t huge for a farmers market, but it’s certainly large enough for me. I never have trouble finding a nice picking of stuff for that week. Some of my favorites here include: buying mixed leafy greens from Dangling Carrot, the chevre from Lucky Penny Farms (chevre and feta is all they sell), and the breads at Eden Bakery.

My one complaint about the Clintonville Farmers Market is that if you don’t get there immediately upon opening at 9AM, you will find yourself dodging strollers, leashed dogs (they’ve been banned, but apparently not everyone has gotten the memo), and people who have inexplicably decided to catch up with their long-​lost high school classmate in the middle of the rather narrow and crowded sidewalk.
Otherwise, it’s a real amenity in Columbus. Many of the farmers practice either organic farming/​pesticide-​free growing methods/​integrated pest management, so if you prefer not to consume carcinogens with your produce CFM is a real plus.
As one would expect of a farmers market, produce varies over the growing season, but here are some of the highlights:
— Ramps in late spring, usually the first few weekends of the market’s opening for the season. Good stir-​fried with bacon.
— Fern fiddleheads, again in the first couple weekends. A bearded guy standing by a cooler sells them — it kind of feels like a drug deal going down, but they’re rare, expensive, and tasty, so maybe it should feel that way.
— Kudos to the farmers who have branched out into Asian vegetables. So far this year I’ve seen komatsuna, Japanese turnips, won bok, bok choy, tatsoi (ta gu cai), and baby bok choy.
By the height of the growing season, you can pretty much do all your produce shopping here, so it’s definitely worth going. But go early, or bring your patience.

My second favorite farmer’s market!
I spend most Saturday mornings during the spring/​summer making my round of farmer’s markets. I usually start at Worthington as soon as it opens, make my way down High Street to Clintonville, and sometimes will end up at North Market instead of heading home. In my opinion, nothing can beat Worthington’s for sheer size and variety, but Clintonville has a few things that they don’t have. I originally bought Dan the Baker’s goods at Clintonville, although now you can find his stuff at other places. There’s a mushroom guy here that sells yummy shitake shrooms, and there’s a few places that sell apples closer to the fall that I can’t find anywhere else. I’m picky about my produce.

I first visited the Clintonville Farmers Market a few years back, and we were less than impressed. There just wasn’t much selection, probably because there weren’t a lot of participating vendors. I decided to give it a second visit since I was in the area.
Wow! What a difference! There are a lot of vendors now, covering all of the farmer’s market goodies — fruit, veggies, cheeses, meats (even bison!), baked goods, jams and jellies, etc. In addition to the good selection and samples, there was live music based out of Global Gallery, and the stores along the side of the street and parking lot there were all open, as well. There were some little carts selling some food/​coffee, and they all offered vegan and gluten free options as part of their menu. I will definitely be returning.

I do not have the authority to compare this any other area outdoor farmer’s markets because it’s the only one I’ve been to since I arrived in Columbus, but I love to support local and this is my ‘hood. On it’s own, I’d have to say they offer a very solid selection and variety of everything one would expect to be peddled by a farmer. Flowers, veggies, fruits, cheese, bread, herbs, meats, etc. I have been going every Saturday to pick up my CSA, and will stroll through to check out the offerings to compliment the booty from my share. My favorite is the fresh bouquet of flowers you can get for only $ 12. Even after a bad work week, knowing I can go to Clintonville Farmer’s Market on Saturday to peruse the local goodness turns my attitude around.

I have been to a number of different Farmers Markets around town and I would have to say that the Clintonville Farmers Market is my favorite. There is a long stretch of friendly people just selling their own goods to us. Endless selections of food for all types of food lovers. The only thing that is a disappointment is you never know what may be there that day. So do not go with a list of items your hoping to get, because it may not be there.
Everything I have had has been delicious, the prices are very reasonable and fair for the quality.

So far my favorite Farmers Market in Columbus, by far the biggest, most diverse and with the best samples!
From fruits to veggies, raw and vegan foods, desserts, all bases are covered and loved by me!
Some of the prices are very reasonable and make you want to stock up and tote around fresh and local goodies, others you just smile and eat your morsel of brownie while they tell you they want $ 6 for it, nah thanks I can get a whole rhubarb pie for that money which I did and it was delicious!

Went through the market this weekend (I normally do when I stop by winemaker’s shop to get homebrew supplies for the weekend), and I have to say I was less than impressed.
Everyone had generally the same combination of produce, which is understandable, but the prices were wildly inflated over what I’ve seen at other times. Vendors were also not dishing out samples like I remember from past visits.
The only worthwhile truck was the fresh peach truck, but given the 30 minute wait in the epic long line, I didn’t want peaches that badly.
First time I’ve left a market without buying anything, but that shouldn’t discourage you from checking it out at least once, I’m guessing it was just an off-​week.

Man, what a great day for the market. Mid-​August and EVERYTHING is in bloom; flowers, veggies, beef, eggs, chicken, coffee/​tea, bread; you name it. Still the only issue is parking. Get there early is my suggestion. This has to be one of the best markets in town.

We started coming regularly last year to pick up our CSA… this year, our CSA hasn’t even started and we’re still showing up regularly. This is how much we enjoy the market.
Clintonville goes out of its way to make every weekend a small mini-​event in a low-​key way. This means you’ll find things like musical entertainment, education on seasonal finds or cooking techniques or handy visitors that can tune up bikes or sharpen knives (the website and newsletter keep you up-​to-​date). They’re also improving things for patrons… new in 2011 is the ability to purchase tokens with your debit card that are spendable at any of the vendors should you find yourself cash-​poor at a booth not equipped for card transactions.
Vendors offer all manner of locally grown or processed goods — this is not a spot where you can sell your «locally unpacked bananas» and get away with it. If you haven’t enjoyed veggies or fruits less the week or two transport time for grocery store variety, you don’t know what you’re missing (you’ll also love how much longer they’ll store at your home). You’ll also find meats, cheeses, baked goods, honey and even wool.
The market is dog-​friendly, so expect plenty of four-​legged friends. If I had to improve things, it would be to offer more random seating… especially near the crêpe/​BBQ cart and to better figure out the small traffic jams that form near the aforementioned crêpe/​BBQ cart to keep foot traffic flowing.

I think this is love. I’m picking out a ring this weekend and asking CFM to elope.
I somehow missed coming here the whole last season, and made it a point to go out on the first Saturday of this season. I am so happy! I bought pork chops, flower plants, ribs, jam, the best swiss cheese ever…
Everyone was friendly, prices made sense, and I loved all the samples. Make sure you come here when it’s open. It makes sense to buy from Ohio producers!

I would give this place 3 stars, but I just can’t bring myself to give 3 stars to a farmer’s market. Maybe in 5 years, when they’ve successfully taken over the grocery market, but now… when they’re so fledgling? I just can’t do it.
So, why the trepidation? The Clintonville Farmer’s market is within easy walking distance of my house. I got some asparagus there yesterday that changed my life (sort of). My boyfriend got the most amazing cream puff, we bought an expensive but nice loaf of bread (I could make that!), and I picked up a few greenhouse tomatoes. I felt good about myself. My issue with the Clintonville Farmer’s market is that it’s a little light on the FARM. Yeah, there’s bread and cream puffs and cheese and snowville creamery milk, but I want vegetables. Yeah, it’s barely May, but I’ve been there a fair amount last summer, and the produce is just… lacking. There are probably 4 or 5 consistent stands. At the Worthington Market, up the road, you can find so much more!
In any case, this place will do in a pinch… like when I’m feel like walking to the market… but when I’m really after a good produce haul, I just have to head to Worthington, which is really the most incredible place. And, in spite of it being in Worthington, I feel like the stuff there is cheaper. I don’t think it opens until mid May, but I’ll be there because, sorry Clintonville, you’re the second best.