Description

The University District Farmers Market is one of the biggest farmer's markets in Seattle and the only big market open on Saturdays. Like the Ballard market (open on Sundays), this is also a big market, but this one has more space and a calmer vibe. Going to a Seattle area farmers market is the most fun you can have with your kids and still end up coming home with groceries!

University District
University Way NE between 50th & 52nd
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays

Getting There
Bus routes: 70, 71, 72, 73, 74 and 83 provide service between the University District and downtown Seattle. Route 48 travels west to east.

Light Rail: The U District station is two blocks away from the farmers market.

Parking: Suggested donation of $3 (pay at Market Manager booth) for use of U Heights parking lots.

Here are three reasons to visit your a farmers market:

The Food
Not only are there tables piled high with fresh crops from local farmers, but there are also great street food vendors, so you can grab lunch or a snack while you are there. And that’s not counting the fruits and vegetables that are consumed on the way home. Watch your kid get a sudden appetite for donut peaches, snap peas or some other seasonal treat. Even though you might have had plans to have some to eat later, it’s hard to argue with your child eating too many fresh fruits or vegetables. And if you are in a recipe rut, a spontaneous buy at a farmer’s market table is a great way to liven your routine and discover new tastes.

Vendors tend to work several markets, so you are likely to run into your favorite people in a variety of places. Some good ones: Alvarez Organic Farm in late summer offers an impressive variety of squash, eggplant and peppers. Nash’s Organics or Sidhu Farms has delicious berries and jam. And the frozen treats at Seattle Pops are wonderful on a hot day.

The Folks
In an era where far too much of our social interaction takes place via glowing screens, it is refreshing to have an event that causes random groups of people to gather. Not only will your kids have the chance to chat with the people who grew their food, but they will also run into neighbors, former classmates, sports teammates or old friends they don’t see often enough. There is usually a puppy or two to greet and an array of strangers dressed in extraordinary ways.

There are also formal community-building things going on. University of Washington Cooperative Extension has master gardeners at tables at many farmer’s markets, where they can answer your gardening questions. There are earnest public servants spreading the word about the latest housing, transit or environmental policy.

The Culture
Every busy Seattle area farmers market has buskers playing acoustic tunes spanning all manner of genres. Alongside the farmers, there are artisans selling their colorful creations. And there are sometimes kids’ activities. For example, in August several farmers markets host “zucchini races,” in which kids race cars they make by attaching wooden wheels to summer squash, provided by farmers.

See also the Seattle's Child Best Seattle Farmers Markets for a Family Excursion