Carmel Winter Farmers Market

I visited this location recently. More than one building entry so lot parking was convenient. A few familiar vendors like Circle City Sweets and Native Bread, but they did not have what I would have liked.I learned that Bear Fruit Farm grows many unique and tasty microgreens. Sample flavors included cantaloupe, beet, broccoli. They were mostly sold out by the time I explored their booth. I was very impressed with the filet mignon sample. Sorry but I do not remember the catering/vendor name right beside Sincerely Soup, which I like their vegetable beef soup sample more than the cauliflower cream soup sample and definitely more than the cream of peanut butter soup with white rice sample.A couple of turkey vendors peaked my interest.Dolce Vita was already shut down, but I think I would like to someday try a few of their crepes.They are operating through March 22, 2025 for this winter season. I am glad I visited.

I loooove a farmers market and this one is no exception. Some of our favorite spots include Becker Farms, Xchocol'Art, Circle City Sweets, Eat Surreal, Lucky Lemon vegan bakery (they don't use dyes or any artificial ingredients!), local honey, and the lady who sells kale sprouts (blanking on the names). My husband always stops to get an arepa to eat there and it's nice to have a Saturday morning activity in the dead of winter. Thanks to all the wonderful vendors who come out to it each year! It's usually pretty packed inside the building, but I love to see so many folks supporting local!

Today was my first time at Carmel Winter Farmers Market this year. It officially opens at 9:00 and I got there a bit earlier. I was able to get a spot just out front to park. As I entered, I received a very friendly greeting - in my experience that happens 100% of the time. I also accepted a reusable bag to carry my goodies in. There is a good selection of vendors this year, the majority being previous vendors (I believe). My first stop was Circle City Sweets to pick up an order I placed on line. I'm a big fan of theirs! I tried Breanne's Blend Cookie Batter from American Dream and brought one them home. The market is open from 9:00 - 12:00. I suggest getting there early for parking, to beat the crowds and for best selection.

The Carmel Winter Market has really grown. While it is smaller than the summer market, I can quickly pop in and pick up some treats and food. Parking is a bit tricky since it's a smaller parking lot, but plenty of spaces close to midtown area. My must is Aahaa Chai, go early to get their half gallon sizes. My favorite is the classic bold masala chai- super easy to mix with milk/ water and have it hot or cold. For some sweet treats, St. Athanasius Byzantine Church has amazing baklava rolls, pumpkin rolls, and cookies. For bread, grab the focaccia sourdough from Jason Michael Thomas.

I've always attended the Summer market but today was the first time at the winter market. A lot smaller but very cozy on this rainy day. We walked in and Kasey King was singing with her acoustic guitar. I walked in looking for gnocchi, didn't find them, so I purchased everything else! They always offer samples before you purchase which really helps in determining what you want, and I had never seen brussel sprouts on a stalk! Of course, I bought one, purchased from No Label at the Table, brussel sprouts, Tiger Butter fudge, egg rolls from Mathoos, Nuttie Peanut Butter, chai teas made with almond milk, and a vegan Arepas. It was fun on this rainy day! All the vendors were pleasant and all of them took cards which really helps me out since I rarely have cash.

I'm relatively new to the Carmel Winter Market but it seems like things have really amped up since the majority of these reviews were written. If the Carmel Winter market is on your Indy area market bucket list but you've been putting it off, I HIGHLY recommend checking it out.On any given Saturday morning there are 25-30 different vendors filling an unassuming old warehouse right off Main St. in Carmel. You can get anything your hibernating heart desires: coffee, chocolate, a plethora of baked goods, honey, fresh veggies, a carton of eggs, dog treats, baby food, popcorn, and so much more. I've been pleasantly surprised that the selection and the vendors are far more diverse than I expected. A couple things I want to highlight: you can get your Circle City Kombucha growlers filled here. You can get breakfast arepas here (and you should), they're traditional Colombian street snacks made of ground maize, here filled with egg, meat, and cheese. The perfect portable bite to eat while perusing the wares. You can even get your knives sharpened here! Personally, that's an errand I would probably never otherwise run because I just wouldn't know how to do it or where to go. Problem solved, just head to the farmer's market!Finally, note that this market has a pretty active Instagram account! Give 'em a follow to familiarize yourself with what's offered. Plus, some vendors are only there every other week so it's good to be in the know before your visit.Bonus: many weeks there is live music. If you catch the closing of the market, you'll hear "Sweet Caroline"... and the accompanying vendor chorus at every "bum! bum! bum!" Gotta love that vibe. 4 stars because the venue, while industrially charming, doesn't get super warm and the parking is generally messy.

Although the number of vendors wasn't large, there were quite a few items that I purchased on my visit. I found a number of cheeses from Shipshewana. There were cobblers and pies from Generations Pie Company in Fishers. I also picked up a loaf of fresh sourdough bread from Circle City Sweets located inside the Indy City Market.It didn't take long to browse through the place to see what was there, and because of that, the lines were short as people were coming and going the entire time. That made parking available too. If you are looking for local products, but don't want to spend all morning doing it, give the winter market a try.Review #2018

Slightly biased review...This was truly a winter market. First snow of the winter season, hardly any one was out on the roads. My family and I were determined to keep the tradition going of visiting markets every other weekend. The Carmel Winter Market didn't disappoint. I was blown away by the number of vendors that showed up to the market! The location is tucked away in a strip of various businesses, easily overlooked if you aren't paying attention. Parking is limited but I suspect there is additional nearby parking which was probably obscured from the snowfall. Once inside we were greeted by a very cheerful older gentleman; the winter storm didn't give him or anyone else attending the blues! Vendors: Everyone was nice and enthusiastic about their products. We even had a few vendors ask us our names and welcome us to the market. They said the market is like family and they were happy to see new faces!My favorite part of this market was the multiple ready to eat vendors..come hungry!A few memorable vendors (there are more but this review is already getting lengthy):Arepas - the young lady taking orders was excited that I was ordering my first Arepa. She had a contagious smile. I've told at least five people about these Arepas. I had the egg, bacon, and cheese arepa..very delicious LIVE - the owner provided samples and two sizes of green juice to purchase. He too had a contagious smile. I ordered the small, should've gotten the bigger one.Rosie's Riblets - Rosie is a gem. She'll package your food to go if needed. Her ribs were so tender the meat fell off the bone when we picked it up. Not sure about the Mac and cheese; my daughter wouldn't share so it must've been good.Circle City Sweets - pastries that you can't get elsewhere. Their croissants are huge!Batch #2 - sample before you buy and if you're like me you'll end up buying multiple sauces.

I was set out to come to this winter market because it was the last day and I heard they had Vietnamese Egg rolls vendor. We couldnt find parking so we had to park a block away, which was not too bad of a walk. As we enter the warehouse there were about less than 20 vendors which ranges from pastries, meat, wine, coffee, and ready to make food like breakfast sandwiches, tamales, and Vietnamese egg roll. My main goal of being there that day was for the egg rolls. Vietnamese Egg roll Bar was tucked wayyyyy in the corner and it was only reason I was there. I ordered 6 ready made egg rolls and 10 frozen to go. The gentleman was super nice and takes pride on his homemade egg rolls. The egg rolls were fantastic! Reminds me of the kind my mom makes. The sauce with the egg roll didnt pair so well. I prefer fish sauce. I believe he was trying to cater more non asians who might not be able to handle the fish sauce smell. I tried 3 in 1 restaurant Tamales which taste just okay. The texture was too mushy and was very overpowering with corn. Live project had amazing healthy drinks and theres samples but I knew what I wanted so I didnt sample any. The strawberry lemonade was refreshing and it tasted so cleaning! I didnt want to leave just with egg rolls so I stop by mallory run wine and left with dry wine. There wine is more sweet which I dont like but she advise the dry wine pairs great with spicy asian food. Overall I enjoy the ready made food and some of the vendors. I did wish there was more varieties of vegetables and fruits. I didnt really see any, and its probably because its winter. But I definitely come back for more frozen egg rolls and Live Project amazing drinks! Can't wait for what the summer farmers marker has to offer!

Meh. While Carmel's Farmers Market in the summer boasts a wide variety of home grown goodness, the Winter Farmer's Market is less than spectacular. You'll find the majority of your summer favs indoors selling their wares, but the space is small and takes less than ten minutes to peruse. I'm all for supporting an entrepreneurial heat wave in the winter, but the space lacks and restricts browsing and the the number of retailers. I do appreciate that the market keeps it to real product made/grown by true Hoosiers. You won't find a hodge podge of multi-level marketing/recruiters seeking suckers with a bouquet of plastics, lotions, soap, sunscreen, makeup, vitamins, candles, fabric handbags, and the like. I hope that continues in the future. In the long run if you have a favorite vendor that causes a craving and the only way to purchase the product is by finding them at the Winter Farmer's Market--- go. Otherwise, chase them down one off or hang tight and wait for the opening day during summer.