Best Of Minnesota: Farmers Market

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Earlier this week, Gov. Mark Dayton declared it Farmers Market Week in Minnesota.

That's a big deal, since there are more than 150 farmers markets statewide.

WCCO viewers picked their favorite – and the St. Paul Farmers Market came out on top.

"Customers here feel like they're buying from their neighbors," said Jack Gerten of the St. Paul Farmers Market.

It may just be a Tuesday morning, but at a church parking lot in Roseville, one of the St. Paul Farmers Market's 20-plus locations, the attendance is booming.

Gerten said the markets draw about 1.2 million people during the course of a year.

The downtown St. Paul market has grown quite a bit since it first opened on Seventh and Wabasha in 1853, but they've kept it local.

Everything for sale was grown within a 50-mile radius.

For that kind of quality, you'd think you have to pay extra, but shopping at the farmers market will actually save you money.

"At our downtown Saturday, we have 154 sellers down there," Gerten said. "You can come down there and find a price that fits any budget."

The downtown St. Paul Farmers Market runs Saturday and Sunday mornings.