Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s
St. Stephen’s Church hosts a year-round farmers market every Saturday.
The entire community is invited!
About the Market
Seasonal hours
8 a.m.-noon, May through September
9 a.m.-noon, October through April
Seasonal produce, eggs, poultry, meats, and flowers from local farms, local seafood, products such as bread, cheese, pasta, and other foods from local sources are available. In addition, the market features local artisans (jewelry, clothing, wooden toys, etc.), coffee, and much more. The Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s is a self-supporting ministry of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.
The market is open for on-site sales, and many vendors also accept pre-orders and/or offer CSA shares.
Vendors accept SNAP and Virginia Fresh Match.
The Café @ St. Stephen’s and the May Fair House are open during the market.
Leashed, well-trained dogs are permitted at the market.
Why a farmers market at a church?
The Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s seeks to connect our choices about the foods we buy and eat to our call to be stewards of God’s creation, as we build community and support local farmers.
The market’s goals include:
- connecting God’s call to environmental stewardship to the foods we eat, stewardship of resources, and reducing the carbon footprint of what we eat;
- building community by providing the city of Richmond and our local neighborhood with a healthy way to gather and connect with each other on a regular basis;
- educating patrons with practical ways to maintain the connection with the sources of their food; and
- helping fill the growing demand for fresh, locally grown and prepared foods in Richmond.
Patrons love our market because they can speak directly to the people who grow and produce their food, learning what methods and practices the farmer or producer uses, and getting tips about how to prepare the produce, eggs, meat, poultry and other goodies they find here. Many customers remark on the size of the market: it’s big enough to have what they need, but it’s not overwhelming. Free parking is available. Children are welcome.
Vendors at this Saturday’s Market
The list of vendors for the coming week is updated on Wednesday afternoons.
Check out this handy chart to see what produce is in season.
Agriberry will bring a variety of apples (Crimson Crisp, Evercrisp, Fuji, GoldRush, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Pink Lady) to market. For your kitchen projects, they’ll have bags of mixed scratch-n-dent cooking apples for pre-order, plus a few at the market table. For FROZEN BERRIES, those are only available by pre-order. Agriberry Farm will also bring their usual array of hand-crafted, farm-made jams, preserves, apple butter, applesauce, and oat bars to the market. Sign up now for the 2024 Agriberry Farm CSA with Wednesday afternoon pickups available here at St. Stephen’s!
Broadfork Farm will have their Certified Naturally Grown celery, Swiss chard, tender kale, spinach, microgreens, sugar snap pea shoots, spring onions (white and red), sweet salad turnips. They will also have their naturally leavened bread, made from all Certified Organic ingredients and baked in their wood fired oven, in the following varieties: seed loaf, “sunny greens”, cranberry & pumpkin seed, raisin & cinnamon loaf, baguettes. They will also have transplants available for your garden: Cilantro, Dill, Rosemary, Thyme, Mint, Red & Green Lettuces, Chard, Kale, Cabbage, Broccoli plus bags of organic fertilizer for your garden soil.
Bundy Heirloom Farm is back! Come get your garden started with some of their heirloom varieties of plants including cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, and watermelon as well as other plants and flowers. Their CSA starts next week so don’t forget! For any orders or questions email [email protected].
Essential RVA Microgreens always accepts pre-orders. Bulk pricing is also available. Next month, look for a couple returning favorites amongst other things as we celebrate our second year. (434) 996-1309.
F.J. Medina and Sons Farm returns this week with plants for your garden!
Haashrooms will be here with cultivated and foraged mushrooms and related products, such as coffees, teas, and salves.
James River Flowers will be here with beautiful spring bouquets for your home.
Liberty Tree Farm will have lettuce, spinach, Tuscan kale, rainbow chard, dandelion greens, mixed spring rabe, Russian kale, and herbs from their gardens. From the kitchen they will have frozen roasted tomatoes, fire-roasted green chilis, pestos, and braised greens.
Life in Bloom RVA Farm will have beautiful bouquets of flowers at the market this week.
Prospect Hill Farm will have their deluxe mixed bouquets and ranunculus bunches this Saturday. Pre-order online at www.prospecthillfarm.net/shop.
Emporia Rabbitry will be at the market with sustainably-raised rabbit meat. Ask for preparation ideas if you are unsure!
The Mayor will have breakfast sandwiches on English muffins again, as well as a brand new variety of sausage: mushroom brats made with button mushrooms from Haashrooms!
Old Way Farm, located in King William County, Virginia raises 100% grass fed lamb, pastured raised chicken and turkey and pasture and forest raised Berkshire pork. Their poultry and pigs are given a non-GMO Project certified feed that exceeds organic feed standard in regards to residual herbicides and pesticides. Turkey and lamb are back in. Check out their website to pre-order for next week’s market and learn more about their farming practices.
Snyder Family Farm is your source for naturally pasture-raised grass fed beef, silvopasture pork, and eggs. Try our mouth-watering steaks and pork chops for the grill or sausage, bacon, and eggs for breakfast. For added convenience and faster service at the market, you can pre-order online. We look forward to serving you this weekend!
Cakes by Jen will be away this week, returning on April 20.
Europa Crust is a sourdough bread bakery located in downtown Richmond since 2021. We bake only bread using a 2-day, probiotic sourdough process with simple, natural ingredients. Our breads are more rustic and less processed than what you’ll find in a store. We make bread the way it was made centuries ago and it tastes like what real bread should taste like. And don’t let “sourdough” confuse you. It’s a process and doesn’t mean all our breads have a sour taste! Our Japanese Milk Rolls and Nissu Sweet Bread (a Finnish cardamom bread) are great examples of a sweeter bread. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions HERE and browse our web site.
RVA Bakehouse will have pepperoni buns this weekend. They are everything you love about pizza in an individual sized bun. The Bakehouse will also have all of their usual sourdough bread flavors and sweet treats. Pre-orders are encouraged to guarantee you can pick up your favorites! Email [email protected].
Artann’s returns this week with hummus, pita bread, and more.
Better Breakfast will be here for the first time with ready-to-eat vegan and gluten-free breakfast foods!
Dogtown Lounge will have our usual menu of raw food and snacks for dogs and cats this week. For more info please visit our website here.
Down to Earth Apple Chips will be here with gourmet apple chips available in original Cinnamon Sugar and Caramel Brown Sugar flavors. Down To Earth Apple Chips are proudly made in RVA from pink lady apples grown at Carter Mountain Orchard outside of Charlottesville, VA. Visit www.downtoearthapplechips.com or Instagram (@downtoearth_rva) for more information, including recipe ideas or to share your pics! Happy snacking!
Leek & Thistle will have all your easy-to-heat entrees, soups and appetizers. This week sees the return of Cuban pork, Cuban beans, as well as a fresh Southwestern salad to complete this meal. Also returning are their bacon-wrapped stuffed chicken breasts- perfect to throw on the grill or so easy to cook in the oven. To ensure availability and to reserve your Normandy chicken salad, please place an order at this link.
Meat Wagon BBQ returns in the BBQ bus with all your favorite goodies.
My Empanada has appetizer trays for your family festivities. Pre-order now at (804) 203-3473 and pick them up at the market.
Noosh will be here again this week with jars of delicious baba ganoush. They are University of Richmond students starting their own company!
Oro will be at the market with small-batch, fresh, artisan pasta and delicious sauces.
Owl Spoon Water Kefir will have gut-healthy and delicious water kefir in many flavors, from ginger to hibiscus to cherry, at the market this weekend.
SoulSmith Kombucha is the only manufacturer of red ginseng kombucha in Richmond. They also make traditional Korean fermented food with kombucha such as kimchi, kimchi sauce, pickled pink ginger and pickled yellow ginger. Kombucha is known as ‘’The Elixir of Life.’’ Kombucha drinks have offered great health benefits beyond the physical level for thousands of years. SoulSmith makes deliciously refreshing and reenergizing Kombucha drinks with many great flavors. Please check out their website here. If you would like to preorder, please call or text at (804) 405-6501.
SouperChef G will have three soups this week:
- “He-crab” soup: Adam’s version of she-crab soup, made sustainably using all male crabs. $12/pint or $23/quart
- “Ragin’ Cajun” chicken gumbo (gluten-free): flavorful chicken thighs combined with zesty andouille sausage, Vidalia onions, poblano peppers, jalapenos, chicken stock, rice, okra, and a dark roux. $10/pint or $19/quart
- Smoky tomato and roasted red pepper soup (vegan, gluten-free): Roma tomatoes blended with roasted red peppers, Vidalia onions, celery, carrots, vegetable stock, smoked paprika and more spices. This grown-up version of the tomato soup you grew up with is perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich. $8/pint or $15/quart
Theriot Market will be here with jams, jellies, nut butters, and nut milks. With the return of Pineapple jam and Watermelon Jam. New to the market are homemade Pecan Pralines!
“Unkol” Chuck’s Brunswick Stew has a fall and winter reminder for all Brunswick Stew customers: The official Brunswick Stew Season has already begun, and lasts all the way through late April. Stock up while demand is a bit lower – Chuck typically has a waiting list from late September through all of April. ”Unkol” Chuck’s 100% chicken-breast-meat-only Brunswick Stew will be at the market this Saturday. Reserve your order by calling and leaving a voicemail or sending a text message to (434) 532-6658, or by emailing [email protected]. ”Unkol” Chuck’s Brunswick Stew is cooked in a 100-year-old, 55 gallon, cast-iron cauldron in Brunswick County, Virginia by a Brunswick County native.
The Wooden Spoon sells paella, DIY paella kits, Spanish olive oil, and more.
Kank’s Store will be here with shampoos, soaps, lotions, and more, all made from natural ingredients and good for your skin and hair.
Simply Vettore will have handmade soap, lotion, body oil, body butter, bath fizzies, bath salts, and lip balm. Custom orders available. Visit me at my website and on Instagram.
Wandering Cow Farm will have soaps, felted items, meat, and more at the market this weekend.
Lovely To Look At jewelry returns with fruits of the earth and sea. This week, fluorite is featured. This multicolored stone is traditionally known as “the home of rainbows”. You’re also encouraged to bring your own jewelry to talk about its history or repair, renovation or redesign.
Fresh, local food for all
SNAP and Virginia Fresh Match
Our market vendors are able to accept SNAP benefits as payment for eligible items. If you or a friend receive SNAP benefits, simply bring your EBT card to the welcome tent and our volunteers will help you exchange funds for tokens to spend at the market. You’ll also be able to receive matching funds from Virginia Fresh Match. For every dollar of your SNAP benefits you spend at the market, you’ll get another dollar from VFM absolutely free to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables. For example, if you spend $10 of your own SNAP benefits, you’ll receive another $10 for produce.
Most food items that are intended for home consumption can be purchase with SNAP benefits. These include:
- fresh fruits and vegetables
- meat, eggs, and seafood
- bread, cakes, and cookies
- soups and casseroles to heat and eat at home
- kombucha and water kefir
- olive oil and honey
- food-producing plants for your garden (tomato plant, lettuce plant, herbs, etc.)
These items cannot be purchased with SNAP:
- non-food items (jewelry, pottery, soap, etc.)
- hot foods (empanadas, breakfast sandwiches, etc.)
- cups of coffee
- ornamental plants (flowers, etc.)
Market staff, volunteers, and vendors can answer any questions.
Gleaning
In addition to selling their products to market customers, many market vendors donate their unsold produce, eggs, and other foods to St. Stephen’s for distribution through our Monday food pantry. Market volunteers visit produce and food vendors during the last half-hour of each market day and gather items the vendors wish to donate. They take the items into the parish house for refrigeration (if needed) and sorting. The next day, our pantry visitors have the opportunity to enjoy these items along with the shelf-stable canned, boxed, and bagged foods on our shelves.
Information for Vendors
The outdoor season is Saturday, April 6-Saturday, November 23, 2024. Hours are 9 a.m.-noon in April, 8 a.m.-noon May-September, and 9 a.m.-noon in October-November.
All additional information, including fees, needed paperwork, rules, etc. is listed in our rules and regulations, linked below. Please read the rules and regulations carefully before you apply.
We strongly encourage applicants to visit the market before applying. Contact market manager Anna Jones with any questions.
We are no longer accepting vendor applications for summer 2024. The application for the winter 2024 market will be posted here in July.
Farmers Market 2024 Outdoor Rules and Regs for Vendors
Additional Opportunities
Volunteer at the Market
We’d love to have you! You may work one shift or more than one; you may work one Saturday a month, every week, or anything in between.
We will train you! This is a great way to meet people, to support the market, and get to know our wonderful vendors.