QC Farmers’ Market’s 3rd season opens Saturday in Rock Island

May 1, 2024

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QC Farmers’ Market leaders say they are excited to return to Rock Island’s Schwiebert Riverfront Park on Saturday, May 4, for a third season where they will bring homegrown produce, handmade foods and agricultural products to Quad Cities customers. The every Saturday summer market days begin at 8 a.m. and run through noon. This year nearly two dozen new and returning vendors will be set up each week with fresh local products for sale. Customers also will be eligible for drawings to win prizes every hour, according to a news release from the market.

A young customer enjoys locally made ice cream during a farmers market in Rock Island's Schwiebert Park. CREDIT QC FARMERS' MARKET

“We are thrilled to offer customers an expanded selection of products this year,” Ian Forslund, president at QC Farmers’ Market and co-owner of Mad Farmer’s Garden, said in that release. New vendors this season will feature locally grown strawberries, personal care products featuring local agricultural products, and produce grown in urban community gardens. “We are excited to welcome back many vendors too,” added Rock Island Fifth Ward Alderman Dylan Parker, a QC Farmer’s Market Board member. “Many of our most popular vendors will be returning for another season, including Dailey Farms Goat Milk, Suzanne’s Swiss Bakery, Grateful Graze, Crandall Farms, and The House with the Flowers.” Founded in 2021, QC Farmers’ Market is a cooperative of farmers and producers local to the Quad Cities area. Customers who purchase food and products at the market buy directly from the producer. All products are homegrown and handmade, without exception. All vendors at the QC Market accept SNAP payments Thanks to a grant with Experimental Station, Illinois LINK cardholders get double their value on every SNAP dollar spent, with matching funds to buy fresh produce and food-bearing plants.

Schwiebert Park weekly host

The weekly market is always at the riverfront park near Rock Island’s West End food desert. Vendors for the 2024 season are:

African Organics, Rock Island – Produce.
Broken Shovel Farms, Joy, Illinois – Coffee, produce.
Grateful Graze, Geneseo, Illinois – Beef, pork, and chicken products
Crandall Farms, Coal Valley – Honey, beeswax products, quail and chicken eggs, produce.
Cravers Little Red Barn, Taylor Ridge, Illinois - Produce, soap
Dailey Farms, Alexis, Illinois – Goat milk, soap.
Family Thyme Farms, Hillsdale, Illinois – Produce, food-bearing plants.
Flamingoberry, Davenport – Personal care products.
Flora Flower Farm, Taylor Ridge, Illinois – Floral arrangements.
From the Earth Bakery, Rock Island – Baked goods, frozen treats.
Ineichen Tomatoes, Milan and Blue Grass – Produce.
Inner Light Essentials, Rock Island – Personal care products.
Lathe & Lambsquarters, Cambridge, Illinois – Produce, maple syrup, canned goods, meat, eggs/
Mad Farmer's Garden, Coal Valley – Produce, spices, baked goods.
Never Dun Growing, Geneseo, Illinois – Produce, CBD products, pork, poultry, eggs.
Old Paths Farm, Aledo, Illinois – Jams, preserves, baked goods.
Perennial Crops Nursery, Rock Island – Food bearing trees and shrubs.
Shire Regenerative Farm, Coal Valley – Food bearing garden plants.
Strawberry Fields, Orion, Illinois – Strawberries and produce.
Suzanne’s Swiss Bakery, Rock Island – Baked goods.
Tapestry Farms, Rock Island and Davenport – Produce.
The House with the Flowers, Davenport – Floral arrangements.

For more information: visit QCFarmersMarket.online.

QC Farmers’ Market’s 3rd season opens Saturday in Rock Island

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Schwiebert Park weekly host

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