KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At City Market, the journey between a farm and your table can be remarkably short – sometimes just a matter of miles and hours.
During National Farmers Market Week, Aug. 2–9, City Market is celebrating the farmers, growers and traditions behind that experience — and the direct connection between local food and the people who produce it.
For generations, the Farmers Market has connected Kansas Citians with local agriculture, supporting small farms and businesses while giving shoppers access to seasonal food, uncommon varieties, and the stories behind what’s on the table.
Know Your Farmer
“One of the things that makes a farmers market different is the direct connection,” said Paula Stocker, City Market Farmers Market Manager. “You can meet the person who grew your food, ask when it was picked, learn how it was grown, and find out what’s best that week.”
That direct connection also gives shoppers a clearer sense of where their food comes from. Each year, Stocker drives thousands of miles visiting participating farms and growing operations throughout the region, walking fields, seeing what is being produced and verifying the integrity of products represented as locally grown.
“We know our farmers, and I know their farms,” Stocker said. “That relationship and accountability are an important part of how we operate the Farmers Market.”
Freshness You Can Taste
Buying directly from local growers also means produce can be grown and harvested accordingly. Instead of selecting varieties primarily for their ability to survive long-distance transportation and extended storage, farmers can grow for flavor, tenderness, seasonality, and local conditions.
That can mean sweeter corn, more delicate greens, intensely flavored tomatoes, and varieties that simply make more sense when the trip from field to table is measured in miles instead of states or countries.
Supporting Local Businesses
At City Market, shoppers buy directly from independent growers and food producers which helps keep those dollars local, supporting families and businesses in the region. Some vendors are multigenerational family operations; others are newer agricultural entrepreneurs building loyal followings one weekend at a time.
“For many of our vendors, this isn’t a hobby — it’s their livelihood,” Stocker said. “They’re building businesses, supporting their families, and creating relationships with customers who come back week after week.”
Seasonal Variety, Grown Close to Home
That close relationship between growers and customers also shapes what shows up at the Farmers Market each weekend.
The result is a Farmers Market that changes with the season and often includes varieties shoppers may not encounter in a conventional produce department. Depending on the weekend, that might mean heirloom tomatoes, locally grown peaches, Asian water spinach, yard-long beans, amaranth leaves, African eggplant or pumpkin leaves.
For shoppers familiar with those ingredients, finding them locally grown offers a connection to familiar foods and traditions. For those discovering them for the first time, the grower is often the best source for ideas about how to cook and enjoy them.
More Than a Weekend Event
None of it happens by accident. Behind every weekend Farmers Market is year-round work curating the offering, vetting growers, visiting farms, coordinating vendors and operations, managing food-access programs, and bringing local growers and shoppers together week after week.
“Farmers markets are about much more than buying groceries,” Stocker said. “They’re an ecosystem supporting local farms and small businesses, connecting people with the source of their food, and creating a sense of community that you simply can’t put on a shelf.”
About City Market
Established in 1857, City Market is Kansas City’s original marketplace and a year-round destination for local food, shopping, dining and community. City Market is open daily and hosts the region’s largest Farmers Market every weekend, rain or shine. Farmers Market days and hours vary seasonally; current hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
All local. All year.
