Good time now to head to a farmers market – Charleston City Paper

There is no better time to celebrate the bounty of Lowcountry food than during National Farmers Market Week, which lasts through Aug. 9. 

Peaches, butter beans and okra are just a few of the foods that are at their best this time of year. In addition to fresh food, local markets offer everything from baked goods to coffee and from soap to ceramics. 

“American farmers receive about 15.9 cents of every dollar Americans spend on food, with the rest going to off-farm costs like marketing and distribution,” according to the S.C. Department of Agriculture. “Selling at farmers markets cuts out some costs, allowing farmers to earn more money from what they grow. 

“Farmers markets also act as small-business incubators, allowing beginning farmers to sell at a smaller scale.”

Visiting your local farmers market is one of the best ways to support farmers and other purveyors. It’s also one of the best ways to learn more about local foodways and to find inspiration. Looking for recipe ideas or ways to use that ripe tomato or sweet corn? Ask those running the stands at your local market and they will surely have ideas. 

What’s in season

Certifiedsc.com lists close to 100 foods and other items that are in season and available during August in South Carolina. Basil, for example, can be made into a pesto to mix into pasta or to top a mozzarella salad. And nothing beats fresh corn with butter and salt, and green peanuts are waiting to be boiled. Yellow squash can be roasted, grilled or thrown into anything from a salad to a chow chow. 

As the Charleston City Paper recently explored in the Summer 2025 issue of DISH magazine, weekly markets fill a community need and a desire for connection as well as offering products made and grown with care. This longstanding European model of weekly markets is a vital lifeblood of community life. Not only do they offer a place for local artisans to sell their goods, but they hum as arteries for people to connect and share. The Lowcountry has exploded with incredible markets, and there are currently at least 16 weekly summer markets in the area. 

Where to go

From each Tuesday’s Mount Pleasant Farmers Market at Moultrie Middle School and Marion Square’s market on Saturdays to the Sunday Brunch Farmers market behind the Pour House on James Island, you can find locally grown and produced food and wares almost every day of the week. 

Markets are seasonal, unless marked by an asterisk indicating it is weekly.

Charleston

• Charleston Farmers Market, Saturdays, Marion Square.

Goose Creek

• Central Creek Farmers Market, 1st and 3rd Wednesday, 519 N. Goose Creek Blvd.
• Goose Creek Farmers Market (*), Saturdays, 519 N. Goose Creek Blvd.

James Island

• Sunday Brunch Farmers Market (*), Sundays, 1977 Maybank Highway.

Johns Island

• Sea Islands Farmers Market (*), Saturdays, 2024 Academy Road.
• St. John’s Farmers Market, Wednesdays, 3673 Maybank Highway.

McClellanville

• McClellanville Growers Market (*), Saturdays, 711 Pinckney St.

Moncks Corner

• Moncks Corner Farmers Market, Thursdays, 418 E. Main St.

Mount Pleasant

• Mount Pleasant Farmers Market, Tuesdays, 645 Coleman Blvd. The weekly Makers Market occurs on Fridays at the Park West Recreational Complex.

North Charleston

• Holy City Farmers Market (*), Sundays, 1021 Aragon Ave.
• North Charleston Farmers Market, Thursdays, 4800 Park Circle.

Ravenel

• Ravenel Depot Farmers Market, 1st and 3rd Saturdays, 5775 Highway 165.

Summerville

• Summerville Farmers Market, Saturdays, 218 South Main St.

Walterboro

• Colleton Museum & Farmers Market, Tuesdays, Saturdays. 506 E. Washington St.

West Ashley

• West Ashley Farmers Market, Wednesdays, 55 Sycamore Ave.

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