When it comes to favorite times of year, the farmers market is by far on the top of the list for me. There is something special about the open air, fresh produce, and members of the community all getting together that makes me feel at peace, and at home. In Davenport, Iowa, the Freight House Farmer’s Market officially opens this weekend on Saturday May, 7th. The market is located in the parking lot of the River Bandit’s stadium, down by the river in Downtown Davenport. When it comes to hours, the market is open from, Sunday 10-2, Wednesday 4-8, and Saturday 8-1. The Freight House Farmer’s Market offers numerous ways for citizens of the Quad Cities to support local business’, while also enjoying the fresh, in season crops offered by vendors. Some of the opportunities that you can take part in at the Freight House Farmer’s Market are:

• Fresh produce and meats brought in by local farms and growers.
• Crafts and other miscellaneous products offered at boutique style booths.
• Food trucks selling delicious (even though it isn’t the healthiest) meals from varying genres. (Tacos, Pizza, Chinese, and Deserts are all common.)
• Live music and street entertainment.
• Public playground and walking paths

Freight House Farmer’s Market Offerings

Fresh Produce and Meats

• Anytime there are opportunities to spread the word about finding high quality fruits, vegetables, and meats for a reasonable price, I am on board. The Freight House Farmers Market is a wonderful opportunity for individuals to line their fridges with healthy options, without breaking the bank. Another great part of this, is that while you are making healthy choices for yourself or family, you can support local business’ as well. This is a fun time to dust off the old cookbook, and find some different types of food that you can cook with. Using produce that is in season not only amplifies your meal, but can let you try out some healthy recipes that you might not have previously! I can’t speak enough about taking advantage of this time of year to try to increase consumption of nutritious and fresh food items. Bring your recyclable bags and load up! Your body and mind will thank you. Make sure to shop around at all of the different places and check prices of everything as well.

Crafts and Boutique Items

• Once you’ve gotten your fair share of fresh produce and meats with you can browse through the various craft and boutique items. These vendors depend on the time of year, but there is typically a good showing. Some of these vendors can range from wood carved cutting boards and products, home decor, and even accessories for animals. There is likely something for everyone, and just like the fresh produce and meats, you will be supporting local small businesses.

Food Trucks

• What would a farmers market be without food trucks? The Freight House Farmers Market does not disappoint when it comes to food trucks. Being somebody that is fairly health conscious, this is one of the only “bad” things about the market. There are only a select few healthy options you can get vs. all of the other high fat, sugar, and calorie options. Usually I go down to the farmers market with the idea that I won’t be eating the healthiest anyway, but it would be nice to see more “leaner” options at each food truck. With that said, they have multiple food genres to touch your flavor profiles. Burgers, tacos, pizza, chinese, and many other options line the Mississippi river to help curb your cravings. My family and I like getting a few different items and sharing them with each other. This not only allows me to try multiple foods, but also watch what I’m eating to some degree. I should mention that there is also a few restaurants right down by the market too, but I usually stick with the food trucks.

Entertainment

• Occasionally you will be able to catch some live music in the pavilion area at the Freight House Farmers Market. If you go on Saturday, which is the higher traffic day, you will almost always see someone strumming on a guitar, a band playing covers of old music, or a local singing one of their favorite songs. This area has a lot of tables as well, in addition to a covering over the area, making it a perfect spot to enjoy food, take a break, or get out of the sun. Every once in a while you can also find some street performers playing the saxophone, violin, or other instruments near all of the food vendors as well.

Public Playground and Walking Path

• With your healthy and nutritious food you purchased earlier, your diet is covered. What about opportunities to become more physically active? Right next to the pavilion for music, there is a great public playground that many of the Quad Cities kids enjoy playing on, while their family takes a break and watches them. If you are looking for something more scenic, drop off your market goods, and take a walk, run, or even a bike ride along the Mississippi river. There is a bike path right down by the river, making it a perfect opportunity to cash in on the beautiful view and also get in some activity for you and the family!

Logistics

• I wanted to include a short section on logistics for the Freight House Farmers Market in Downtown Davenport. When it comes to parking, there is plenty of free parking down by the market itself. Of course, the closer parking spots often get filled up quicker. I usually park in a parking lot further down from the farmers market, and just walk over. There is also parking ramps nearby, and multiple street parking spots in downtown Davenport as well. When it comes to payment of products, lots of places now accept credit or debit card. There are likely some places that will still accept cash or only allow cash. There are a few ATM options down at the market so you are covered. Dogs are also allowed, assuming that they are not causing any issues. Any other animal, unless it has documentation as a support animal is not allowed. As mentioned in the food section, it would be advantageous to bring a bag for your items, and potentially a wagon or cart. The last thing you want to be doing is carrying around all of your goods.

The Freight House Farmers Market will be in full swing shortly! Make sure to check it out this weekend, or throughout the summer. To visit there full website, click here.

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