Strawberries at Soulard Market
This is the market I visited as a kid, and the stalls full of strawberries and pistachios still look just the way they did over twenty years ago. Not much has changed at Soulard over the years, which is a good thing. First opened in 1779, this is one of the oldest public markets in the US. Since 1838, it's existed in its current location in the French riverfront neighborhood of Soulard.
Well... some things have changed — the market now hosts Top Chef Competitions and the word "organic" shows up more frequently on stall signs, but overall, it's still the same old Soulard.
The "oldest farmers market west of the Mississippi" is open year-round on Wednesdays through Fridays from 8 am to 5 pm and Saturdays from 7 am to 5:30 pm. Originally a French trading post, the market took shape in its current location after Julia Cerre Soulard donated two half-blocks to the city for the creation of a permanent market. According to local historians:
- "The first structure was built on the site in 1843 by a private joint venture of farmers and vendors, who sold shares to build a one-story red brick building on the eastern of the two half blocks. During the Civil War years the local military commander declared martial law throughout the city. The grounds of Soulard Market were pressed into duty as a military encampment of pro-Union guards, charged with enforcing martial law. Since then the market has had a long and varied history, through tornado damage, urban beautification during the "City Beautiful" movement of 1909-11, the construction of a new building in 1928-29, the threat of demolition for new development, decline into slum conditions, and comeback beginning in the 1970s."
Shopping List of Market Specialties:
• Schweiger's Produce: A fourth generation family-owned stall that's been in the market for over 100 years. Shop here for fresh fruits and vegetables in season: watermelons, tomatoes, peppers, apples, cantaloupes, and peaches.
• Soulard Florist: They've been in the market since 1970, stocking bunches of mums, daisies, roses, orchids — whatever is fresh and in season.
• Scharf Farm: Produce grown in nearby Millstadt, Illinois. Depending on the season, look for bright and beautiful strawberries, asparagus, peaches, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, okra, squash, and pumpkins.
• Soulard Spice Shop: First opened in 1914, this shop says they sell between "600 and 800 pounds of spices weekly."
Do you shop at Soulard? Share your experiences in the comments.
Images: (1) stlbites.com used via Creative Commons License 2.0, (2) stlbites.com used via Creative Commons License 2.0, (3) Matthew Black used via Creative Commons License 2.0, (4) Herkie used via Creative Commons License 2.0, (5) Jake's Guide to Soulard | Apartment Therapy
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Comments (9)
Gotta love Soulard! Even with all the (awesome, really awesome) farmer's markets popping up all over town, Soulard is still the best. Crowded, cheap, and more stalls than you can possibly patronize...pretty much the ideal market.
Pro tip 1) Bring a cute kid (sans monster stroller) and get tons of freebies.
Pro tip 2) Vendors in the center usually have better prices!
The Spice Shop is the absolute best deal in St Louis. Holy crap, they have some good prices. Best place to go on a Saturday. Grab a bloody mary first and something from the bakery for sustenance and get to shopping. I can pretty much get most of my shopping done for the week at the market.
I grew up in St. Louis in the 60's and my parents would always go to Soulard Market every other week. The spice shop, I remember, and a bakery where the rye bread, pumpernickel rolls and a fluffy, 3 in. high crustless cheesecake were to die for! The farmers would compete with one another on price and if you went late on a Saturday afternoon, you could get real bargains! So glad the market is still going strong.
I grew up going to Soulard. Then we took our kids there more Saturdays than not until we moved to Chicago. I think it helped them learn to love all kinds of food. Grocery shopping in the bazaarlike atmosphere of Soulard Market, with its live chickens, boisterous vendors and people selling everything from plants for the yard to T-shirts, kittens and mini-doughnuts produced before their eyes by a doughnut machine made it a fun adventure.
Soulard is my Saturday morning ritual for produce but I also love the butcher, spice shop, and bakery. Generally I can get all my shopping done there - just not at once. I find the spice shop and butcher much nicer on a weekday so I can actually talk to the people behind the counter. Of course, I live close so it's never a big deal to me to stop in.
Also don't forget the pasta lady and all the local honey.
Well, I know where I'm going on Saturday morning now! So glad I live in such a vibrant and interesting city.
It's also one of the few places to get the Baetje Farm goat cheese. BEST goat cheese ever. And I love that Soulard has more and more vendors selling locally grown food.
How I miss Soulard!
I live in DC now, and I describe it "if Eastern Market and Takoma Park Farmer's Market Merged... under a roof!"
This really is a farmer's market in name only, as clearly evidenced by the frequency of packaged produce at the stands as well as admitted in this article.
http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/article_15ebf823-41de-5ef0-8ecb-959e7daa7323.html
Try Tower Grove if you're looking for a Farmer's Market in St. Louis with...you know...actual farmers.