September has arrived, and so have apples and other fall things to the markets. This month is Champaign-Urbana’s second to last month of outdoor market season. We only have September and October, and that’s it. This month, make time to visit farmers markets. Winter is coming, and there’s no fresh food popping up from the ground in the snow, so let’s get to the markets now and eat.
Everybody knows about Urbana’s big Saturday market and Champaign’s Tuesday afternoon market, but this month, there’s two additional markets happening — and they’re both at night and both on Thursdays! Today (and today only), catch Tolono’s first farmers market from 5 to 8 p.m. on September 5th at 123 Main Street. They have a great lineup: Good Judys’ Bagels, Humbleweed Farm, Sola Gratia Farm, Mileur Orchard, and more.
The other new market is a weekly Urbana night market in the same spot as the Saturday morning market, but it is at night from 6 to 9 p.m. for the next six Thursdays. That market’s vendor list includes Stango Cuisine, RiPoppedIt popcorn, Sugga Shaii’s Sweets, food trucks, and makers.
As for what’s delicious at the market this month, take a look.
Apples are so in right now. September is quintessential apple time, and there are so many vendors that sell apples at Urbana’s Market at the Square.
Check out the apples from Cary’s Garden of Eatin’ in the first row of the Saturday market. The Urbana farm and orchard stand sells quite a selection of produce including fresh-picked apples. Ask questions because the farmers know their apples and can make good recommendations.
Cary’s Garden of Eatin’ also sells pears, and September is a good month for them. I’m not big into pears usually, but I was convinced to buy a few after the farmer pulled out a little knife and sliced me a sample of one. It was sweet and juicy and just too good not to buy a handful.
I hope nobody is sick of tomatoes yet because there still are some juicy tomatoes to buy around the markets.
On Saturdays, visit The Fancy Tomato stand from Homer. The farmer grows a lot of cool tomatoes that I haven’t seen from other farms. They have fun names, and there’s many varieties of tomatoes to pick from, plus super spicy peppers, too. This vendor is cash only, so those who wanting fancy tomatoes should bring dollars.
We’ll see the last of the local tomato harvest this month, and late summer market tomatoes are so good especially when I think about how fresh tomatoes won’t taste this good for like another year. I like to buy the reddest ones I can find, slice them, and then drizzle Grovestone balsamic over top and pair with Prairie Fruits Farm feta.
There’s still plenty of peppers out among the vendors at both the Tuesday and Saturday markets. I like buying a few different colors because the rainbow looks pretty on a plate.
Coffee is available at the morning market from NitroCup, BakeLab, Elm City, and Zuzu’s Coffee. One Saturday, I tried a cold brew from Zuzu’s Coffee. They’re based out of Springfield, but Zuzu’s Coffee first started in Mahomet back in 2017. I bought a cold brew ($4) and thought it was pretty good. They also offer hot drip coffee and bags of roasted coffee beans.
This month, squash will be everywhere around the Urbana market. Here’s a list of where to get local squash on Saturdays.
The Land Connections’ Tuesday afternoon market has a smaller group of vendors, but it’s still awesome and worth a stop. Each week, find market favorites Sola Gratia Farm selling fresh produce and Good Judys’ Bagels with their popular bagels and bagel chips.
Since big cookies are the all the rage right now, check out Sierra’s Sweet Shoppe at the Tuesday market. Her stand sells small-batch jumbo stuffed cookies for $5 each. Her flavors include black velvet, caramel snickerdoodle, oatmeal cheesecake, gooey chocolate chip, peanut butter, cookie butter brownie, and Oreo brownie.
Diamond’s Homestead is at both Tuesday and Saturday markets with locally grown mushrooms, tomatoes, and delicious microgreens — the wasabi is my favorite. The small farm has been in operation since 2018 and is a must stop especially when their pumpkins come in.
A new vendor Champaign’s Tuesday market is a small bakery called Macaron Palace. The table offered macarons in chocolate, lemon, raspberrry, and blueberry. Important to note is that Macaron Palace is cash, Venmo, or PayPal only.
For macarons at the Urbana market, visit Sweet Somethings by Monica. This bakery offers a variety of unique flavors. I’ve tried Monica’s macarons in chocolate, vanilla, mango habanero, and watermelon, but the flavors rotate. She’ll be at the first night market this Thursday night in Urbana and on some Saturdays this September.
With harvests slowing down, this month is a great time to check out the selection of market meat. Stop by Reclaim Ranch out of Mansfield, Illinois farm for bison meat: skirt steak, rump roast, ribeye, filet, ground bison, stew meat, liver, and more on Saturday mornings. Additionally, other Market at the Square meat vendors include Triple S Farms, Allison Centennial Farm, Avery Farms, Moore Family Farm, Harden Ranch, Ruhter Bison, and Living Light Farms.
A beautiful baked goods stand is Bloomington’s Great Harvest Bread Company. Although this bakery has been at the Saturday market all season long, this is their last month at Urbana’s Market at the Square for the season, so September is the time to get that bread.
From chocolate babka to peach muffins to sliced bread, the baked goods here are all fantastic, but this rosemary focaccia ($7) was incredible. First off, it looked gorgeous, and secondly, it tasted like heaven. It was airy, fresh baked, and totally delicious.
Lastly, Stango Cuisine is at all three recurring markets: Urbana’s Saturday market, Champaign market, and Urbana’s new Thursday night market. The Zambian restaurant brings menu favorites like beignets, handpies, and ginger juice to the market.
Though there are chicken or veggie versions, I love the beef handpie ($6) most. It’s always the first flavor to sell out, so going early is essential to snag one. The buttery pastry is soft and packed with delicious seasoned ground beef. Served hot, it’s my favorite savory breakfast and an excellent street food for wandering the market. Stango’s beignets and other snacks are fire whether it’s Tuesday afternoon, Saturday morning, or Thursday evening.
Urbana’s Market at the Square
The Urbana Market has been in continuous operation since 1979. The market runs from May to October, each Saturday morning from 7 a.m. to noon, rain or shine. It’s located at the corner of Illinois and Vine in Urbana.
Forms of payment: Cash, credit, debit, or SNAP.
SNAP/LINK: Vendors selling LINK-eligible foods accept LINK tokens. Please visit Urbana’s Market at the Square website for specifics, or the information tent on site.
Parking: Free parking is available in the parking lots surrounding Lincoln Square Mall and the lot south of Illinois Street. Bike parking is also available at the entrances to the mall and at the bike corral area past the entrance to the Market off of Illinois.
Pets: No pets allowed. Please respect the market’s rules and leave your doggo at home.
Social Media: You can follow the Market on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Sign up for weekly Market emails here.
The Land Connection Champaign Farmers Market
The Land Connection’s Champaign Farmers Market is on their eighth year. The Champaign Market is open on Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. starting on May 14th. The Champaign Farmers Market will take place in parking lot M in Downtown Champaign at Neil and Washington.
Forms of Payment: Pre-ordering, cash, credit cards, debit cards, or SNAP/EBT cards.
SNAP/LINK: All eligible vendors accept SNAP benefits through the LINK token program. Please visit The Land Connection website for specifics.
Parking: Metered parking is available in parking lot M or in the Hill Street Parking Deck.
Pets: Leashed doggies are welcome.
Social Media: Follow The Land Connection on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or check the website for more information.
