Minneapolis Farmer's Market - Nicollet Mall

O NOES, the end of Farmer's Market season is upon us!This has been a great way to get a break from the office over my lunch breaks. The highlight of my week during the summer months is my Thursday walk down Nicollet Mall to buy flowers, fruit, and tasty breads.Bring your cash, as I don't think there is a single vendor who accepts cards. If you forget, there are about a thousand ATMs in the Downtown area, so you've got no excuse.I'm a big fan of the street performers who take advantage of the huge crowds - this year, there was a gal with an accordion with her guitar/banjo strumming friend wowing the masses! I'll wait patiently for you until the spring thaw, Farmer's Market!

I prefer the other two Minneapolis markets (Mill City and North Lyndale) due to the proliferation of resellers at this market. I feel like I have to walk by mini Cub Foods outlets to get to the genuine local fare - the N. Lyndale market has the same issue, but not to such a degree and there are signs above the vendors indicating they're resellers.I'll concede that these are still probably small businesses and that should trump big box stores, but when I think "farmer's market" I hone in on the word "farmer" and that's really what I'm going there for.

Not bad, but not Brad. Many fruits are shipped in for resellers, not local farmers. But I have to admit that the fruit draws people out of their offices and into the clutches of fresh food. Some of the resellers have a few home-grown items among the big-brand boxes from California. MN doesn't have a ton of fruit production... But there were fantastic, in-season raspberries. Little glowing jewels perfect for sharing with a new friend in a relaxed lunchtime picnic.The market also has some fun prepared items, particularly one stall with a wide variety of pickles. mmm... garlic...

I'm surprised no one's reviewed the Market on the mall yet, but here goes.You will not necessarily find the variety or the quality of the weekend markets here, but you will definitely find something fresh and local for a nice Thursday dinner. Some vendors of homemade salsa, popcorn, roasted nuts, and bread will be out. You can count on St. Martin's to be out with their orgasmic pickles, too. All in all, I do like the weekend market best, but this is good if you want to take a quick walk on your lunch break and pick up some tasty produce.

The main Mineapolis Farmer's Market is located on Lyndale, runs 7 days a week, and is huge. This is the smaller satellite one that operates on Thursdays from 6-6 on Nicollet Mall between 5th St and 12th St. The vendors are still great, the downtown vibe is fun, and it's so convenient to stop by on my way home from work. The deals are pretty good too: typically I get 3 baskets for $5 during the 4 o'clock hour and beyond. I've never visited earlier in the day. It's mostly produce, lots of flowers and plants, and some prepared foods, pastries and meats/cheeses.

I got Californian blueberries in a huge plastic container for $1 and if I pressed and made a bargain with them at the end of the day, I bet I could knock off 25 cents and get it for 75 cents! Getting blueberries for a $1 may not sound astounding if you don't often shop for blueberries and aren't familiar with the general pricing, but I am very aware, and know a good deal for blueberries when I see em. The blueberry prices and the tiny containers they come in at the regular supermarkets are ridiculous. A tiny container of blueberries at Target, Trader Joes, and Cub Foods, is at least $3.00 and for a container as big as the one I got at the farmer's market? It would be set at $6.00 at the supermarkets. Oh, not to mention the blueberries itself that are sold at supermarkets are very tiny sized and unappealing. Whereas, the blueberries I found sold at Nicollet Mall Farmer's Market, are the kind I like, bigger in size and very delicious! My review is based on the blueberries alone! haha! I don't know anywhere else you can get a better deal on blueberries!

Not gonna lie, I am going to miss having the Farmers Market available when I am downtown... but I have to agree with the person who said that it is reselling, not really farmers.To be quite frank, I will miss the fresh cut flowers most. They last WAY longer than anything you could get from Bachmanns or even 1-800 Flowers. I will not however miss the crowd of people thronging up the already busy Nicollet Mall...

This market is really convenient if, like me, you forget to carry cash on a regular basis and need to find ATM--they're everywhere. I used to work downtown, so Thursdays were always a love/hate day of the week for me. The downtown crowd doubles, but there are plenty of vendors and the wait to purchase produce is never excessive. One piece of advice: It's best to avoid lunch hour if possible. Some of the vendors are clearly selling produce that's on its last leg from the grocery store (one of the strawberry packages I was looking at straight up said "Dole" on it) but you can find stands that have legitimate home-grown produce too.If you're a fresh-cut flower fan (actually is anyone not?) they have beautiful bouquets for $5. (The kale they have right now would also make for a beautiful bouquet!)

One thing I miss about last summer: always being downtown on Thursday afternoons for the farmers' market! Though it's very crowded, there are 5 or 6 blocks of produce, bread, pickles, eggs, meats, flowers, and more to explore and enjoy. As everyone else has said, many of the vendors are resellers - skip them and head to the ones who are clearly local producers. :)Bring plenty of cash, shop around, and make sure to buy some gorgeous flowers!

I work in the IDS.....this is the best on Thursdays! I love the pickle stand, the walnut and covered almonds stand....and the tamale guy in front of the IDS.You tend to see a lot of flowers for sale....but there is plenty of food you can pick up while shopping or going back to work.