What We Love About the German Village Farmers Market
Plus, the Westerville scene is booming with the addition of two new coffee shops and a familiar ramen shop.
Now in its Eighth Year, German Village Farmers Market is on a Roll
By Bethia Woolf
Central Ohio is rich with farmers markets—Clintonville, Dublin, Worthington, and Westerville all host bustling Saturday events. Weekday options abound, too, like Bexley on Tuesdays and Franklin Park Conservatory on Wednesdays. But one market you might not have explored yet is the German Village Farmers Market, now a local treasure in its eighth season.
Founded by Carol Ross as a fundraiser for St. Mary School, a Catholic school in the heart of German Village, the market was born from a simple question: Why didn't the food-conscious German Village neighborhood have a farmers market of its own? At the time, Ross’ daughter was in third grade, and she knew the school needed creative fundraising solutions. Drawing from her experience working with the Pearl Alley and Reynoldsburg farmers markets, Ross launched the market on the school grounds.
When St. Mary’s underwent major renovations a few years ago, space for the market disappeared. Luckily, the German Village Society welcomed the market with open arms. Now, the market stretches down South Third Street, from Pistacia Vera to Cento, and into the German Village Society Platz.
The market has grown from humble beginnings to an impressive 45 vendors scheduled for the 2025 season. Not every vendor appears weekly, so each Saturday brings a slightly different experience. The market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through November 22, but produce lines often begin forming before the official start. Ross recommends arriving early to ensure the best selection of fruits and vegetables.
Parking is street-only in the surrounding neighborhood, so expect to walk a few blocks. Coffee fans are in luck: In addition to market vendors selling brews, neighborhood favorites like Pistacia Vera, Stauf’s Coffee Roasters, and Kittie’s Cakes are just steps away.
This year, 11 new vendors have joined the German Village roster, including a new produce farmer arriving Memorial Day weekend. Ross, who is also a vendor herself (selling baked goods, preserves, and cheeses at her stand, The Baker’s Rack), says she aims to maintain a healthy balance of crafters, bakers, farmers and specialty food makers. She knows firsthand the challenges and rewards of market life, offering a unique perspective as both organizer and participant.
One standout new vendor is Peasant House Provisions, offering flavored sugar cubes and syrups ideal for cocktails, tea, yogurt or ice cream. Cubes in flavors like lemon lavender, New Fashioned and roasted vanilla are made with herbs, citrus zest and essences, then baked at a low temperature. The vendor’s charred marshmallow syrup was a crowd favorite on a recent Saturday.
From kombucha and hot sauce to granola and dog treats, the German Village Farmers Market offers something for everyone. Weekly vendor lineups are posted in advance on the market’s Instagram page.
Whether you’re a longtime local or a curious newcomer, the German Village Farmers Market is well worth your Saturday morning.
A Few More German Village Farmers Market Highlights
As a regular market-goer, here are some of my personal go-to vendors:
Glennhaven Farm is my most frequented stop. They grow a wide variety of produce, including unique beans and spinach, and usually offer fresh herbs, rhubarb, asparagus, leeks and radishes. Glennhaven’s quality is exceptional.
The Farmstead Market by Ebenhack Farm in Circleville brings a seasonal bounty of fruits and vegetables and often has one of the longest lines—especially during strawberry and peach season.
The Cheese People offer a rotating selection of domestic and international cheeses. Last season I bought an outstanding gouda—here’s hoping they still have it.
Bocado Flavor Co. makes chili crisps that fuse Chinese-style crunch with Mexican chiles and spices. A spoonful of their condiment can revive almost any meal. You can read more about them here.
The market is rich with baked delights from vendors like Breedlove (known for babka and cookies), Anna Bakes Things (try her garlic herb bread or pretzel focaccia), and Fox + Mulberry, a new plant-based bakery from Baltimore, Ohio, whose cinnamon rolls turned heads. Carol Ross’s own The Baker’s Rack features a rotating mix of scones, pastries and breads.
WIT Farm, whose motto is “whatever it takes,” is the go-to for pasture-raised meats: chicken, duck, turkey, pork, beef and eggs. New this year are the vendor’s hot breakfast sandwiches, including a rotating seasonal option in collaboration with other vendors. The smell of sizzling bacon is impossible to ignore.
Farmers Market News>>> Grandview Heights Farmers Market will hold its inaugural weekly outdoor market on Sunday, June 1, in the parking lot of Larson Middle School (1600 W. First Ave.). The market will take place 9 a.m. to noon every Sunday through Oct. 12 (except Sept. 28).
Notes
Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene
There have been a flurry of opening in Westerville of late. Megan Ada’s Ampersand Asian Supper Club, which got its start in the Short North, now has a second location in Uptown Westerville at 32 W. College Ave. The new hotspot for ramen is just around the corner from its sibling restaurant Asterisk Supper Club.
After taking a break following its soft launch a week ago, Westerville’s Begin Cafe will reopen Wednesday, May 7, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The new coffee shop at 8 E. Main St. in Uptown Westerville will serve drip coffee, espresso drinks, matcha, baked goods, granola bowls and more.
Fox in the Snow owners Lauren Culley and Jeff Excel have announced that their next location will be in Westerville at 79 S. State St. next to Fattey Beer Co. According to the announcement on Instagram, they are targeting a late summer opening. This will be the fifth location for Fox in the Snow, which opened its first in Italian Village in 2014.