State College Farmers Market and Central PA Farm Stands

The State College farmers market and the farm stands of Centre County give a college town surrounded by fields a way to eat what grows nearby. Markets here run through the growing season, and farm stands sit on the roads that run between the ridges. Here is how to shop them, what to look for and how to plan a picnic.

What is the State College farmers market like?

A seasonal gathering of growers, bakers and makers in a college town full of students. Expect vegetables and fruit in summer, apples and squash in autumn, plus bread, eggs, cheese, honey, meat and flowers. Days and places change from year to year, so confirm them with the market's own information or the borough before you go.

Students, parents on a campus visit and residents all shop it. The pace is easy, and the stallholders are happy to talk about how a thing was grown.

Where are Centre County farm stands?

On the country roads around State College, in the valleys between the long ridges that give Happy Valley its name. Small stands sell sweet corn, tomatoes, peaches and pumpkins in season, often on an honor system with a cash box. Larger farm markets sell baked goods, cider and jam. Some stands are open only on certain days, so a phone call or a look at the stand's own posts saves a wasted drive.

Take cash in small bills, and a cooler for the ride back. Roads between the ridges are narrow and winding, so allow more time than the map suggests, and pull off carefully when you stop. A stand run by a family often has its best produce early, and the shelf can be bare by afternoon. If you see a handwritten sign for eggs or sweet corn, trust it.

What is Happy Valley produce like through the year?

It follows the calendar. Spring brings greens, radishes, rhubarb and asparagus. Summer brings corn, berries, tomatoes and peaches. Autumn is apples, pears, squash and pumpkins, and winter is storage crops, bread and preserves. Pennsylvania is apple country, and cider from a local press is a seasonal treat. A visitor in a different month will find a different market.

Ask what is best this week. Growers always know.

How do you buy local in State College as a visitor?

Without a kitchen, buy things that need none: fruit, bread, cheese, cured meat, jam and baked goods. Pack a picnic and eat it on a lawn or by a stream. If your lodging has a kitchen, buy vegetables and eggs for a simple dinner. Local growers are used to visitors asking how to cook an unfamiliar vegetable, and they will tell you.

Bring a bag, because many stands do not supply them.

How do you plan a farm stand picnic?

Choose the stand first, then the spot. A drive along a country road with a stop at two stands and a state park or a field edge for lunch is a good afternoon. Buy bread and cheese at a market, tomatoes and peaches at a stand and a drink to go. Check that your picnic spot allows eating and does not need a fee.

Keep it cold if the day is hot. Take away your trash.

What do tags help with at a market?

In the Mosey app, raters add tags when they rate a place, including Farm Producer and Market Stall, and diners look for them in the Find sheet. A tag is a note from someone who was there and never a promise about a stall being open. Market vendors change from week to week, so confirm before you travel. Dietary tags, where they appear, are a starting point for a conversation with the seller.

What should you buy first on a short visit?

Buy what is hardest to find at home and easiest to carry. A loaf of bread, a wedge of cheese, a jar of honey or jam and a bag of whatever fruit is at its peak make a good first haul. Ask the seller how to store it and when to eat it. Tomatoes in August and apples in October are the safest bets, and almost every stall will let you taste before you buy. If you are traveling by plane, jam and honey go in checked luggage, and a pie goes in your lap.

How do you keep a record of the markets you try?

Make a list, name it for the season and add each market or stand with a note on what you bought and what was best. If a stand has a place page in the app, you can rate it; places new to the app are added when you rate them, and the app checks their details. Share the list with the friends you went with, and follow people whose taste you trust.

Where next in State College?

The parents weekend and graduation dining guide covers a visit, and the coffee shops guide covers the mornings. The older State College food guide covers the creamery and game days, and the US food guides cover the rest of the country.

For the rest of the state, start at the Food in Pennsylvania page.

After your market morning, open the Mosey app, rate the best thing you bought by the dish and start a list called Centre County farm stands that your friends can add to.