The St. Louis Soulards Farmer Market: From Fresh Fruit to Fresh Meat, t

I loved gathering my things, and cleaning my red wagon the day before we went to Soulards Market, in my hometown of St.Louis, Missouri. My brother and I, talked about everything we planned on sampling, all the way down to what type of fruit we wanted to take home to feast off of. We loved going in the spring/summer seasons because it was an outdoor market. In the winter we rushed in our shopping, due to that midwest wind. It was enough to cut your breath short, like a severe heart attack! Another one of our favorite things to do was to go to the pet store! Yup, they even had a pet store that sold a variety of animals. Fish, parrots, dogs, cats, hamsters and snakes were their biggest sellers. My brother and I would get caught up in the pet store for hours it seemed. If our parents could not find us, they knew the pet store was our hangout spot.

I loved walking up the concrete walk way of the market hearing the farmers yell, " Fresh greens, get ya fresh greens right here!" or my favorite guy was Chris the Chicken man! "Chick, CHICK, CHICKENS! That's right the best cluck in the midwest, SOLD, RIGHT HERE!" he would yell. Then he would places his hands under his arms and cluck around like a chicken with his head cut off! Of course, all the kids would only want to eat Chris' chicken, so he was the king of chicken hands down. He knew how to advertise really well. From there we went up into the fruit lane and people would toss out stawberries, grapes and peaches! We would catch them and eat them, while the farmers in the background would competively roar out their prices and their punch/sales pitches! Each vendor had it's own way of attracting customers and they knew exactly what to say and when to speak, or yell so to say!

The farmers market was unique for not only being mostly outdoors, but the way the whole venue was set up, along with it's purpose. The outside stores were mostly fresh fruit, vegtables and some meats. The other stores that were on the inside block were, the fish and seafood stores, the spice store, and other specialty stores. The market even has a few clothing, and accessory stores that sell all the latest fashion jewlery and other items like sunglasses, watches, shoes and so forth. The entire market attracted many people from all walks of life. The purpose of the market was to serve the community by making thier prices as well as their products affordable and plentiful.

The main attraction was their PRICES! That is still the main attraction till this very day. For example, one quart of fresh strawberries (recently) cost .99 cents at the market. When I recently went to the grocers, the same size of strawberries went for $3.95! Oh my goodness! Now I see why going to the market was such a big deal for my family. Now, with me having my own family to raise, I take heed to going to the market, just like I take heed to attend church on a weekely basis. It saves us on average $55.00 a month, compared to the name brand grocers markets. PLUS, our food seems to last longer.

You name it, the farmers market has what you need. Spices, fruits, veggies, fresh cut flowers, flower vases, fresh pastries, breads, seafood, fresh poultry, exotic coffees, and a variety of clothing stores and cute what nots. The experience is like a meeting of the gypsy caravan, flea marketers and farmer clans all meeting in one place. I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed! When visitng the farmers makrket, make sure you bring your own wheels or plenty of hands. There are no grocery carts available. Many people choose to bring their children, wagons, or their own carts on wheels. The experience is one that you will not forget.

The Farmers Market address is: 730 Carroll Street St. Louis, Mo. 63104 The office phone number to the market is: 314-622-4180
Hours of Operation are from: Weds-Friday 8am-5pm Saturday from 6am- 5:00pm
email:Market@stlouis.missouri.org