Pittsburgh’s Fall farmers’ markets bring new ingredients into the kitchen spotlight: fresh, farm-grown ingredients such as apples, pumpkins, squash, and so much more. That’s right, just because summer has come to an end doesn’t mean your farmers’ market trips have to. Many markets in Pittsburgh are still open to suit your harvest needs. However, since the days are getting shorter, get out there NOW to partake of the bounty before farmers’ market season comes to an end. Plus, try our recommended recipes to make the most of your fresh produce.
Pittsburgh Farmers’ Markets Open Through the Fall
Carrick Farmers Market
1529 Brownsville Road, Wednesdays, 3-7 p.m., through October 28
Carrick’s Wednesday market brings farms, prepared foods and community organizations to the Love Carrick Community Pavilion. Jodikinos Farm and Greenhouse grows a wide range of produce, with fall crops including pumpkins, butternut and acorn squash, sweet potatoes, apples, broccoli, cabbage and kale. Catchfly Gardens adds locally grown flowers, while Pittsburgh’s Best Cafe brings prepared food. The vendor lineup rotates from week to week, and Just Harvest’s Fresh Access program lets shoppers use SNAP and earn Food Bucks for fresh produce. If small pumpkins turn up in your haul, try our Baked Baby Pumpkins, an easy savory side for cooler weather, or other pumpkin recipes.
Bellevue Farmers Market
34 North Balph Avenue, Wednesdays, 3-7 p.m., through October
Set in Bayne Park, Bellevue Farmers Market gathers around 30 vendors and food trucks each week. Fall is prime time to visit full-time vendor Sturges Orchards for apples, cider, apple butter and applesauce, while Haffey Family Farm and Pond Hill Farm are great for Pennsylvania-grown produce, greens and herbs. Get locally grown mushrooms at Fungetarian, and prepared-food options range from Pitaland’s gyros and pita pies to Ocho Salsa’s fresh salsa and Kilimanjaro Flavour’s African cuisine, with rotating vendors adding to the lineup. Bring home a mix of tart and sweet apples from Sturges to make our classic Apple Pie.
Squirrel Hill Farmers Market
5737 Beacon Street, Sundays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. through December 20 (Hours Change to 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in December)
CitiParks’ largest farmers market makes for an especially abundant Sunday shop. Who Cooks For You Farm’s fall harvest includes pie pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, butternut and honeynut squash, kale and winter radishes, while Paul’s Orchard, Sand Hill Berries, Jodikinos and Real Fungi add fruit, produce and mushrooms to the mix. There’s plenty to eat on the spot, too, with El Colibri and Lula La Chula among the prepared-food vendors, plus baked goods from Jak’s Bakery, Mediterra Bakehouse and Third Space Bakery. Pick up a butternut squash at the produce stand and try our Twice-Baked Butternut Squash with Brie.
Farmers’ Market Cooperative of East Liberty
344 North Sheridan Avenue, Saturdays, 5 a.m.-noon, year-round
Early birds have been shopping this farmer-owned East Liberty institution since 1941, and unlike most markets on this list, winter doesn’t send it packing. Fall Saturdays bring Kistaco Farm apples and fresh cider, alongside Zang’s Greenhouse tables piled with squash, potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips, cabbage and greens. Greenawalt Farm sells eggs, cheese and preserves, while J.L. Kennedy Meat Stand is the stop for locally raised meat and poultry. If a hefty fall cabbage makes it into your bag, our Braised Cabbage and Beans recipe knows what to do with it.
Northside Farmers Market
Allegheny Commons Park, East North Avenue & Cedar Avenue, Fridays, 3-7 p.m. through October; 3-6 p.m. through November 20
Friday grocery shopping comes with a side of happy hour at CitiParks’ longest-running farmers market. Set in Allegheny Commons, Northside keeps going well past summer with regional produce, meat, eggs, breads and dairy, plus prepared foods that make it easy to snack while you shop. On the final Friday of each month, the market turns social with a beer garden and live entertainment. Fall produce changes as the harvest does, so check the week’s farm stands before planning dinner. Then browse one of our many recipes for inspiration once you see what strikes your fancy.
Sewickley Farmers’ Market
200 Walnut Street, Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., through November 21
Sewickley’s Saturday market catches that delicious September overlap when summer hasn’t quite left but fall is already elbowing its way in. Dillner Family Farms still has sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, green beans and watermelon, with winter squash and pumpkins beginning to arrive. Istanbul Grille is a weekly fixture for Turkish food and vegan dishes, and shoppers can picnic on the neighboring convent lawn through October. If you have a bigger haul than expected, fear not. Market volunteers will even help carry those giant pumpkins and squashes back to the car. Put the winter squash to work in our Roasted Squash with Orange and Spices, a lovely, warming recipe.
Lawrenceville Farmers Market
115 41st Street, Tuesdays, 3-7 p.m., through November 24
Lawrenceville’s Tuesday market makes it very easy to turn an after-work grocery run into dinner. Fall brings apples and cider from Sturges Orchards, produce from Carlos Aviles Farm and Jodikinos, and mushrooms and vegetables from Tiny Seed Farm and Star Cross Naturals. Driftwood Oven, Istanbul Grille and Mexa handle the ready-to-eat side of things, while the market’s dollar-for-dollar SNAP match helps stretch the weekly shop. Mushroom haul getting too ambitious? Our Smoked Mushroom Vegetarian Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce pile smoky, crisp-edged mushrooms into tortillas with fresh pico and a spicy-creamy sauce.
Monroeville Lions Farmers Market
Monroeville Mall, between Dick’s and Best Buy, Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon, through November 21
More than four decades after the Monroeville Lions Club started this market in 1982, Saturday mornings are still about local food. Farmers and food makers help run the market themselves, with a roster that includes Harvest Valley Farms, McKinney Family Farm, sweet-corn grower McElhinny Farm, Paul’s Orchard and Mitchell’s Mushroom Farm, alongside local bread, honey, preserves, cheese and prepared foods. The market’s move to Monroeville Mall brought more visibility, easier parking and direct access to vendors. As winter squash piles up at farm stands this fall, our Roasted Squash Tacos with Sriracha Mayonnaise turn butternut squash into a spicy, crunchy weeknight dinner.
Bloomfield Saturday Market
5050 Liberty Avenue, Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., through November 21
Summer may be winding down, but Bloomfield’s market still has plenty to fill a Saturday morning. Shop Sturges Orchards for apples and cider, Real Fungi for mushrooms, and a rotating mix of farms and makers for vegetables, meats, cheese, bread and prepared foods. SNAP and Food Bucks are accepted, and the market continues twice a month through winter. For an easy use of those crisp fall apples, this Vegan Apple Slaw mixes them with cabbage, carrots and a maple-Dijon dressing.
The Original Farmers Market in Bridgeville
151 Parks Road, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 5:30 p.m. through September; Mondays and Fridays at 5:30 p.m. in October and November
This Bridgeville institution does things the old-fashioned way: Farmers sell from individual stalls, shopping starts when the bell rings at 5:30 p.m., and cash is still king. October brings pumpkins, gourds, winter squash, potatoes, cabbage and fresh cider, followed by plenty of apples and hearty produce in November. You’ll also find breads, honey, meats and prepared foods. Take a few apples home to make delicious Dutch Apple Pie With a Twist.
Verona Farmers Market
36 East Railroad Avenue, Thursdays, 2-7 p.m., through November
Verona keeps its Thursday market going through November, with local produce, prepared foods, artisan goods and food trucks in the mix. Right now is an especially good time to go, as summer tomatoes and zucchini overlap with the first of fall’s squash and heartier vegetables. Wondering what to do with all that late-summer bounty? Try cooking a Vegan Mushroom Potato Soup that can be made in just 35 minutes, featuring three types of mushrooms, a Yukon Gold potato, vegetable stock, and plenty of herbs.
Oakmont Farmers Market
600 Allegheny River Boulevard, Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., through October
Oakmont’s “small but mighty” market packs plenty into a Saturday morning. Haffey Family Farm brings seasonal produce, Halstead Farms has locally raised poultry and eggs, and Begonia House Bakery and The Saucy African cover baked goods, sauces and spice blends. Those farm-fresh eggs are reason enough to plan Sunday brunch: Chef Csilla Thackray’s recipe for Paprika Deviled Eggs gives the classic a smoky, savory kick.
Brookline Farmers’ Market
Cannon Memorial Park, Sundays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., through October 25
Keep Sunday mornings local at Brookline’s neighborhood market, where the focus is on homegrown and homemade food. Expect seasonal produce, meats and cheeses alongside fresh breads, cookies, pies and other baked goods, with the lineup changing throughout the season. A loaf of market bread and a wedge of local cheese are also the beginnings of an excellent fall lunch. This recipe for the Ultimate Grilled Cheese has the 411 for getting it perfectly crisp and gloriously gooey.
About the Author
Kylie Thomas is TABLE Magazine’s Online Editor, covering Pittsburgh food, drink, and going out, including the Things to Do in Pittsburgh column. A Point Park University graduate, her work has also appeared on The Takeout, QBurgh, and Empire Extreme. She also runs the photography business Photos by Ky.
Featured Photo Courtesy of Tolga Ahmetler
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