Not too far from our home here in Naples, Florida, we have a rather nice farmers’ market that has nearly everything you could want in a market. There’s a ton of wonderful produce, household basics and even a few things that make perfect gifts. Plus there’s also usually a few stands with edibles served up hot while you wait. The only thing you’ll be missing is a meat vendor (although they are hard to come by here) and seafood fans shouldn’t lament either (unless it’s the summer).

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It’s always great to live near a farmers’ market, especially when you are in walking or biking distance. But it does set up a few challenges versus heading to any other sort of market stand.

For example, transporting all our goodies when you’re on foot or bike can be a challenge.  Our solution is using a set number of fabric bags that we know we can carry. Once those are full, we have to stop…or we might need to call Uber for a ride home! Farmers’ markets are a great reason to use fabric bags, especially if you are biking. A backpack or a basket on your bike are even better.

We also like to take a couple of bottles of cold water. The market is about 1.5 miles from our home, which is 30 minutes walk or about 15 minutes via bike. In the summer, it’s quite hot, even by 10am. So water is not really an option but more like a necessity. Also, you never know when you might swallow a bug or try something you don’t like at a market stand…especially if you’re a 7-year-old girl. (*sigh*)

Lend me your next three minutes and we’ll take a trip up to the Pine Ridge Road Farmers’ Market here in sunny Naples…just click the play button below.

Where To Find the Market

The Pine Ridge Road Farmers’ Market is in Naples, Florida. You’ll find it south of Pine Ridge Road, at the intersection of Livingston Road, about one-half mile West of I-75. It is located in the same shopping center with Starbucks and FirstWatch and you can enter the following address in your navigation system to get there: 3360 Pine Ridge Road, Naples, FL 34105.

It’s a rather major intersection with a big stoplight. The market usually has a lot of stands on the corner by the two-story bank building, so it should be really hard to miss.

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When Can You Visit??

The Pine Ridge Road Farmers’ Market currently takes place year round, although you will find more stands during the winter season, especially the food trucks. I’d say there’s around 30 in the summer and 65+ during the winter “season” (Nov – April).  If you plan to go during the summer (late-May thru September), I recommend you go EARLY to beat the heat! It was May 29th and we hit 101 in the sun on the heat index. It’s hot out there y’all!

Summer hours: 8am – 1pm
Winter hours: 8am – 2pm

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What You’ll (Usually) Find at This Market

  • Lots of Fruits — You can expect to find a variety of local and imported fruits at multiple stands. There will be items such as mangoes, various citrus like oranges, lemons and limes, melons, papaya, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums and some local specialties like guava, starfruit and more.
  • Vegetables Galore — Throughout the fruits you will also find lots of basic veggies like carrots, bell peppers, red potatoes of all sizes, sweet potatoes and other yummies. There is also a stand with mushrooms sometimes.
  • PEPPERS — As I was mentioning, it’s H-O-T here so there’s a great selection of hot peppers as well. We saw jalapenos today that were almost the size of the palm of my hand today. No joke! I would love to stuff those bad boys with bacon and shrimp!!
  • Local Honey — If you have allergies, they say there are few things better than local honey. We haven’t tried theirs yet but it seems reasonably priced.
  • Specialty foods like Jellies, Salsa, Olives, and Fresh Juice — We explored the spicy jellies today and they were awesome. Tasting is encouraged!
  • Used Books — We simply cannot resist the used books stand…and it makes me thrilled that Mackenzie is just as voracious a reader as I was when I was young. (**Please, Lord, let her continue to be studious well into college like I was!**) The prices they offer are killer, especially for kids books. Many of the paperbacks are 25 cents, and few of the children’s books are more than $2. There are plenty of Florida novels, James Patterson and random cookbooks to be had as well. I could totally write a whole post just on that book stand…
  • Homemade Soap — There used to just be The Soap on the Rope guy who has really awesome soap. But now there’s some competition in town it seems. If you’re into homemade soaps, there are always great soaps to be found.
  • Clothing, Accessories, & Jewelry — I’ve seen a wide range of women’s clothing, purses, scarves, jewelry, random cheap sunglasses and more sold here. Many of the items are artisan made.
  • Fruit Trees and Decorative Plants — Everything from mango and citrus trees to orchids and shrubs can be found at this stand.
  • Food Trucks and Stands – Nico’s Kitchen, Organically Twisted and sometimes others are at the markets selling freshly prepared foods. Today there was someone with empanadas.
  • Home Decor — Art, photos, knick knacks and handmade items are often available to peruse and purchase.

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What You Might Also Find

  • Seafood — Typically there during season, if you are a fan of scallops, their dry packed sea scallops are the size of hockey pucks and super delicious! They’ve got lots of yummy fresh fish as well.
  • German-Style Breads & Pastries — Landert Breads gets their bread from quality European sources and it is tasty! We brought home some lovely pretzels and something similar to a Bauernbrot (Farmers Bread) in taste. Although they are typically do wholesale, the company tests some products in the markets and does make exceptions if you are looking to buy a box of bread!
  • Del’s Lemonade — Del’s is a small, locally owned supermarket that came out with their own brand of naturally sweetened lemonades. They were at the market recently, passing out samples. Let me tell you what — that lemonade is delicious! There were 3 variations: regular lemonade, pink lemonade and tangerine. Stefan and Mackenzie really like the pink lemonade and I thought the tangerine was great too. They’re even available online.
  • Flavored Kettle Popcorn — We’ve got some really good local kettle corn makers here and that stuff is GOOOOOD! But only in small doses because it is not at all a friend to the waistband/thighs! 😉

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Thanks for checking out the market with us! Have you ever been to this market? What did you think? Do you have a favorite farmers’ market in your area?

Learn more about the Pine Ridge Road Farmers’ Market on their website or check out recent photos on their Facebook page.