Photo courtesy of Coppell Farmers Market via Instagram.
Fresh food access is a cornerstone of our community’s health. When we can regularly shop for fruits, vegetables, and other minimally processed foods, we are more likely to maintain balanced diets and reduce health issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. In many parts of Dallas–Fort Worth, access to healthy food is uneven. Some neighborhoods are classified as food deserts, where full-service grocery stores are scarce. Farmers’ markets help bridge that gap by bringing producers and consumers together in neighborhood settings. This direct connection supports nutrition and food security, especially in pockets of DFW with limited access to big retail grocers. Not to mention, you can cook up some fantastic meals with farmers’ market finds.
Markets such as the historic Dallas Farmers Market, which has been serving North Texans since the 1940s and now hosts more than 50 Texas farmers and ranchers, promote local agriculture and community education. They are also critical access points for public benefits like SNAP/EBT and incentive programs (such as Double Up Food Bucks) that expand purchasing power for low-income shoppers.
In fact, the DFW metroplex is home to dozens of farmers’ markets, from large destinations like the Dallas Farmers Market and the McKinney Farmers Market at Chestnut Square—recently ranked one of the top markets in Texas—to smaller neighborhood markets. While there is no official count, local directories routinely list 20 or more weekly markets across Dallas and Tarrant counties alone.
While we don’t have the space to dive into twenty farmers’ markets, we will focus on six beloved standouts this year (including the two mentioned above). And you can learn about more of DFW’s best farmers’ markets in past seasons here.
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Dallas Farmers Market
The Dallas Farmers Market is one of the most recognizable markets in North Texas. Located downtown near Deep Ellum, the market blends open-air farm stands with a permanent indoor food hall, making it a reliable stop for locals and visitors year-round. On weekends, the outdoor stands come alive with farmers selling seasonal Texas produce, fresh herbs, honey, eggs, meats, and plants, while the surrounding campus hosts pop-ups, small makers, and community events. During the week, the indoor space remains open daily, anchoring the area with local restaurants, coffee shops, specialty food vendors, and small retailers. This mix of fresh food and prepared options has turned the Dallas Farmers Market into a place people use both for everyday shopping and casual dining. For some, it’s a weekly outing, not just a once-in-a-while treat.
Within the larger market, the Dallas Farmers Market Produce Shed focuses heavily on fresh produce sourced from Texas growers and regional distributors, alongside staples like eggs, meats, nuts, and seasonal specialty items. It operates on weekends and is designed for browsing and comparison, with multiple vendors selling similar items at varying price points. While not every vendor is a small independent farm, the Shed plays an important role in keeping fresh produce accessible downtown and gives shoppers a consistent place to buy fruits and vegetables even when traditional neighborhood grocery options are limited.
The Dallas Farmers Market also highlights and promotes Black-owned businesses as part of its vendor community and seasonal celebrations. The market has featured a range of Black-owned food, artisan, and specialty businesses, including Abundantly Aromatic, Nana Dot’s Southern Sweets, Caribbean Cabana, Chef Lorious Group, and others.
This huge, well-loved market at 920 South Harwood is open every day of the week, from around 10 a.m. until 7 p.m., but individual restaurants or shops within that space have different hours. The Shed, for example, is only open on weekends from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The Dallas Farmers Market also participates in SNAP/EBT programs for eligible purchases. Shoppers can use their SNAP or EBT benefits to buy qualifying items such as fruits, vegetables, meats, bread, and other staple foods sold by participating vendors.
Cedar Market Ranch
Cedar Market Ranch operates as a modern farm market and grocery store combined. Located in Dallas’ Cedars/South Dallas area at 2434 S. Harwood Street, this family-run market opened in February 2024 as a direct-to-consumer outlet for surplus produce, quickly becoming a popular stop for folks looking to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. From the beginning, the focus has been on moving seasonal produce quickly and pricing food affordably. But the store also offers pantry essentials like sauces, flour, bread, and canned goods.
The market is owned and operated by the Perez family, whose roots in the produce industry stretch back decades. With their produce warehouse and market working side by side, Cedar Market Ranch’s setup allows fruits and vegetables to move from trucks to shoppers with minimal delay. That setup is central to the market’s identity and explains why its shelves are constantly stocked.
Rather than positioning itself as a novelty or destination farmers’ market, Cedar Market Ranch is a practical, produce-forward grocery store built around access and affordability, and they even offer pickup and delivery.
McKinney Farmers Market
The McKinney Farmers Market at Chestnut Square is one of the most celebrated farmers’ markets in North Texas. Held in the Chestnut Square Heritage Village in downtown McKinney, the market takes place under the backdrop of preserved historic buildings and a lively town square, which gives it a unique vintage atmosphere. Local growers, ranchers, bakers, chefs, craft makers, and specialty food producers gather each week to sell a wide variety of products, from fresh seasonal produce and pasture-raised meats to eggs, cheeses, honey, baked goods, artisanal preserves, handmade soaps, plants, flowers, and other locally made items. Live music, family-friendly activities, and food trucks add to the market’s “weekend outing” experience.
The McKinney Farmers Market operates seasonally on Saturdays from the first week in April through the third week of December. The market is held every Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon, offering the fullest selection of seasonal fruits, vegetables, herbs, and farm products when Texas farms are most productive. From January through March, the market continues on Saturdays but with adjusted hours of 9 a.m. until noon.
Free parking and easy access from the historic downtown area make it a natural Saturday ritual for frequent visitors, and the market’s reputation has grown beyond Collin County to attract visitors from across the Dallas–Fort Worth region. In fact, it was recently recognized as the #1 Farmers Market in Texas and #3 in the Southwest.
Coppell Farmers Market
Coppell Farmers Market is widely regarded as one of the most community-driven farmers’ markets in North Texas. With a strong emphasis on locally grown, locally produced food rather than large-scale reselling, the market has built a loyal following by prioritizing Texas farmers, ranchers, bakers, and food makers. Shoppers tend to come and build relationships with vendors, which gives the market an old-fashioned neighborhood vibe.
Coppell Farmers Market is a year-round operation. From spring through fall, the market runs every Saturday morning with a full lineup of produce vendors offering fruits, vegetables, herbs, eggs, meats, honey, baked goods, and prepared foods. In the winter months, when local growing slows, the market shifts to a reduced schedule and operates on select Saturdays rather than weekly. Even then, it remains active, with winter produce, pasture-raised meats, pantry goods, and artisan foods. This allows the market to support local producers year-round.
The market’s reputation is built on transparency and standards. Vendors are generally required to grow, raise, or produce what they sell, which means shoppers can ask direct questions about farming practices, sourcing, and ingredients. That focus has made Coppell Farmers Market especially popular with people who care about where their food comes from, whether they’re shopping for fresh vegetables, sustainably raised meats, small-batch baked items, or other locally-made goods. The atmosphere is also lively, often featuring live music, kids’ activities, and seasonal events.
Coppell Farmers Market accepts SNAP/EBT benefits. Combined with its consistent schedule, strong vendor standards, and walkable location in Old Town Coppell, the market has become a model for functional, local-only selling.
Farmers Market Fort Worth Inc
Farmers Market Fort Worth Inc has been a fixture in the Fort Worth area since 1973. This family-owned produce market is one that many locals rely on for everyday shopping. Located inside a large indoor space at 5507 East Belknap Street in Haltom City, the market feels closer to an old-school neighborhood produce store than a modern outdoor farmers’ market. Produce is stocked daily, and prices are clearly marked. Staff are often on hand to help shoppers choose fruits and vegetables or put together fruit baskets and gift assortments.
The selection is broad and practical, including fresh fruits and vegetables alongside herbs, seasonal items, pecans, and other nuts. In fact, one of the market’s standout features is its nut selection, including on-site cracking and shelling services, which has made it a longtime destination for shoppers looking for Texas pecans. The store also stocks pantry staples and cooking essentials. Regular customers often describe it as affordable and friendly.
Farmers Market Fort Worth Inc operates year-round, much like a typical grocery store: from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and it is closed on Sundays.
Cowtown Farmers Market
The Cowtown Farmers Market in the Fort Worth area is one of the region’s most established outdoor farmers markets, having opened in 1986, and it’s known for supporting local producers. Held at the Veterans Park Grand Pavilion in White Settlement, the market has been serving the community for decades with vendors who grow, raise, or produce their own goods within roughly a 150-mile radius of Fort Worth. At Cowtown, you’ll consistently find fresh seasonal vegetables, fruits, plants, meats, cheeses, eggs, baked goods, nuts, and a variety of other artisan items direct from North Texas. Customers often describe the market’s atmosphere as genuine and community-driven, with growers and makers on hand each week to talk about their farms and products directly.
The market operates year-round on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until noon, rain or shine. During the busiest months of late spring and summer, the market has also added Wednesday morning hours in previous years, typically from mid-June through mid-August. The consistent Saturday schedule throughout the calendar year makes Cowtown Farmers Market a dependable fixture in Tarrant County.
Cowtown Farmers Market participates in nutrition assistance programs. The market accepts SNAP/EBT benefits for eligible purchases and participates in the Double Up Food Bucks program, which effectively doubles the purchasing power of SNAP dollars on fruits and vegetables up to a set daily limit. When shoppers arrive with a SNAP/Lone Star Card, they need to visit the market’s information booth where the card is swiped and exchanged for wooden tokens and matching Double Up vouchers that can be spent like cash with participating vendors.
Because Cowtown Farmers Market adheres to a strict producer-only policy, it does not allow resellers and ensures that all goods are grown or made by the vendors themselves. Vendors are inspected regularly to maintain these standards, and the market’s longstanding history and tight-knit vendor community have helped it remain a beloved Saturday-morning tradition in the Fort Worth area.
