Fill Your Crisper Bins With a Visit To The Uptown Martinsville Farmers’ Market
agriculture, farmers market, food,
Out of arugula and rutabagas?
The Uptown Martinsville Farmers’ Market has been helping fill crisper bins in Henry County since the late 1970s. The market has been housed at its current site on West Main Street since 1999. The hours of operation for the market are Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The indoor/outdoor attraction is open 12 months a year.
Even though the city of Martinsville constructed the facility more than 10 years ago for farmers and market-goers, the site is still receiving rave reviews for its amenities, cleanliness, convenience and efficiency. While many markets consist of rows of small tents, this market has water, electricity and restrooms, plus there is a performance stage for producing a variety of entertainment events.
Those events include monthly Tasty Saturday get-togethers that showcase live music, a chef-of-the-month demonstration and craft artisans from the Patrick Henry Community College Artisan Center. The Tasty Saturday festivities make the market one of Martinsville’s hottest spots on the weekends.
The Martinsville Uptown Revitalization Association oversees the entertainment events as well as all other activities affiliated with the market.
The summertime months feature the freshest pears, peas, spinach and dry beans, while fall is the best time to buy carrots and collards. Strawberries are plentiful during the winter and spring, the latter season also ideal for shoppers looking for beets, broccoli, dried herbs and medicinal herbs.
Meanwhile, there are also plenty of year-round products such as onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fish and other seafood, pork, eggs, baked goods, bread, honey, preserves, soap and bedding plants. Non-edible items for sale throughout most of the year include fresh-cut flowers and beeswax.
Story by Kevin Litwin
