Story by Sydney Kelso
Photos by Chloe Hardman and Connor Anderson
Get ready, because the Moscow Farmers Market is just around the corner! Come May 4, the Moscow Farmers Market will be in full swing every Saturday morning, with vendors featuring a variety of handmade goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, ready-to-eat snacks and so much more.
The Farmers Market runs from the first Saturday in May to the last Saturday in October. It is open from 8 AM to 1 PM, so there is plenty of time to hit it up. There’s also plenty of vendors to hit up. According to Community Events Manager Amanda Argona, the Market hosts over 80 vendors, with some traveling 200 miles to set up shop.
With the Moscow Farmers Market being just a year away from hitting its 50th birthday, it is no surprise that it is a fan-favorite among new students and Moscow residents alike.
“I love seeing the people of Moscow enjoying the Market,” Emma Freitas, a third-year student at the University of Idaho, said. Freitas goes to the Market most weekends when it’s open. “As a college student, I don’t really see a lot of people who aren’t also students. I also love the food.”
Freitas encouraged all Market-goers to try the food at the Market.
“A lot of it is fantastic! The first time I went to the Market with friends we discovered the crepe stand. We decided to give it a try and we’ve gone to it every visit since.”
Sofia Strilets, a second-year student at UI, has been going to the Market since she first moved to Moscow a couple of years ago. Strilets agreed that the Market’s treats are a need.
“My favorite part of the Market is definitely the food,” Strilets said. “I bought my first tamale there and came to find out [that] they’re incredible! The Market also has grocery foods like bread, jam and produce. One time, I went with a friend to Panhandle after walking around the Market and I put some of the jam from the Market on my ice cream. Wow, it tasted good.”
The Moscow Farmers Market is a wonderful place to make memories similar to the one Strilets made.
“I encourage everyone to bring a friend,” Strilets said. “Even if you don’t want to buy anything, just walking around with a friend and looking at all the stuff there is incredibly fun. Last summer, one of my friends and I biked to the Market and spent almost the whole day there. We ended the day with ice cream. It remains a treasured memory to this day.”
The Market is also notable because of the differences which separate it from other farmers markets.
“I’m from a bigger city than Moscow, so the farmers markets are very different from where I come from,” Freitas noted. “The Moscow Farmers Market has always seemed more personal to me.”
“I’ve been to some pretty small farmers markets from the rural areas of California, and they’re quite different,” Strilets said. “There, you drive up to a field or a patch of farmland with just a few stands and you can go pick the produce and berries yourself. In Moscow, they bring the food to you, while keeping it fresh. Moscow also has more food trucks and more opportunities to support small art or jewelry businesses.”
Strilets has also been to Moscow’s Winter Market, which she noted is quite different from the Farmers Market, but still a lot of fun and something worth checking out when it comes around again.
“I was able to get some cool books, as well as some Christmas gifts for my roommates,” Strilets said.
Along with books, the Winter Market sells a variety of crafts and foods. The Winter Market is open from 9 AM to 1 PM on most Saturdays in November, December and February.
Both Markets are integral to Moscow, and the Moscow community is just as important to small businesses. Whether it be the summer or winter, small businesses know they can thrive in Moscow due to the overwhelming local support.
“The Market is a clear demonstration that we can put aside our differences and come together in the interest of fresh food and supporting local and regional producers,” Argona said. “The Market has an economic ripple effect that is felt not just in the neighboring downtown businesses, but [also] throughout our community.”
With the Farmers Market being so diverse in the goods it sells, it also makes it a wonderful place to sell goods as a vendor.
“The Moscow Farmers Market is unique from other Markets… in that it has high standards for the products being sold,” said Kelly of Alpine Chai LLC. Kelly requested to keep her last name anonymous.
Alpine Chai started in 2021, and while they have had a booth at the Moscow Farmers Market for just one year, they enjoyed that year and are excited for the upcoming Market season.
“Our favorite things about the market are the live music & getting to know our customers and neighboring vendors,” Kelly said. “Also, the Moscow Farmers Market features products that are local, handmade or homegrown. In fact, Alpine Chai is based out of Moscow.”
Alpine Chai isn’t the only Moscow-based business.
“Over 70 percent of vendors are [based] right here in our community’s backyard of Latah and Whitman counties,” said Argona.
Alpine Chai, like nearly all other vendors at the Market, is a small business. Because of that, it is crucial that Market-goers take their time going through the Market so that they can support as many local businesses as possible.
As mentioned earlier, the 50th anniversary of the Moscow Farmers Market is coming up. Argona believes that it is the consistency of the vendors and the community that have let the Market stay so strong for so long.
“Year[s of] commitment of vendors attending the Market have created a strong foundation for continued customer engagement,” Argona said. “Consistency matters, and because of that vendor commitment, customers who value supporting small, independent, local and artesian products know that they can rely on the Market for such goods. We… have big plans in the works for the 50th anniversary, including some giveaways and our own twist on a commemorative calendar, to name a few.”
Argona encouraged UI students to support the Market in any way they can.
“If cost is an issue, students can still support the Market and our vendors through social media engagement, word-of-mouth advertising, e-newsletter sign-ups and still visiting [the Market], even when the weather is less than ideal (a great way to get some fresh air and your daily steps in),” said Argoda. “A big way to show up for the Market each year is to vote for us and support our online campaign efforts during the ‘America’s Farners Market Celebration,’ where we participate in a friendly competition with Farmers Markets across the U.S. to find out which are the best at state, regional and national levels.”
The Moscow Farmers Market is one of the best around. This year, be sure to go down to the Farmers Market and see for yourself everything that makes our Market the best in the U.S.!
