Nearly 900 Farmers Markets Open in Winter

Last-minute holiday shoppers who want to buy gifts locally may be interested in knowing that their farmers market may still be open. The US Dept. of Agriculture keeps tabs on such things, and says that 898 of these markets are open during some or all of the winter.

That's 17% more than last year, and applies even in many northern states, with some of the highest numbers of open markets occurring in CT, MA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, and PA. Other states with lots of open markets include AZ, CA, FL, KY, and NC.

The USDA inventory is searchable by state and city, and considerable detail is provided for each market.

• Farmers Markets and Local Food Marketing; Dec. 8, 2010, press release.