If your weekly shopping list includes produce and product you pick up at the grocery store, I’d gently ask you to rethink that decision. True, some area groceries do carry local NC and SC produce, and several have small North Carolina or South Carolina sections, but the selection is limited and you really have to know what you are looking for. Duke’s Mayo, Southern Biscuit flour, Cheerwine, Texas Pete Hot Sauce, maybe even a Krispy Kreme doughnut, Enderly and Pure Intentions Coffee… all cases in point. So if you are a label reader, by all means go and explore. But better still, skip the grocery store and shop from the farmers and producers themselves.
It is so easy to buy anything in season at local farmers markets near you. This article speaks to those in and around the greater Charlotte area. But I promise, wherever you live, you have local markets. And this time of year, there are so many markets, open on the weekends, and now on select weekdays too, that you can easily shop locally almost every single day of the week!
Why Shopping Local at Farmers Markets Is Worth It
Pick a Saturday, any Saturday, and you’ll find me shopping locally at an area farmers market or two (sometimes three!). Several reasons why. First, these people are my friends. I run into people I know at the market all the time. And the more you shop with local vendors the better you get to know them and their families. You become friends and that’s a lovely thing. Markets are a great place to meet people who love local products as much as you do and to keep long term relationships with farmers, producers and vendors going strong.
Next, when you spend your grocery dollars at a local market, those dollars stay in your local community. You are not padding the bottom line of some far-off corporation; you are helping a small, local farming family keep the lights on, keep the land in the family, and keep doing the hard, beautiful work of growing our food.
And, that’s not the only reason to shop local farmers markets. The real magic is that everything simply tastes better. Produce is better for you when it’s fresh picked. Anything you buy at a Saturday market from a local farmer was on the vine, on the tree, or in the dirt just days before you saw it laid out in front of you. That tomato did not ride across the country in a refrigerated truck. It rode in from down the road. You can taste the difference, and once you do, there is no going back.
Truth is, you’ll rarely see me at a grocery store any more. Oh, of course I go to buy paper goods and often just to see what’s new, but for the most part, everything Tom and I eat and everything I serve to guests or in a cooking class or catering job was sourced locally at an area market or directly from the individual farmer or producer. You can do it, too!
How Do You Know It’s Really Local? Just Ask
Here is the friendly, empowering truth: the best tool you have at any market is a simple question. Wondering whether that produce or product really was grown, raised, caught, or made nearby? All you have to do is ask. Any farmer worth their salt will happily tell you where something came from and how it got to their table.
Many of our area markets have strict rules requiring that every vendor be located within a 50 or 100 mile radius of the market, which makes “local” a sure thing. Almost every market now has a website, or at the very least a social media presence, so go there first and check places out before you shop.
Other markets are more open, and sometimes a vendor will resell product they did not grow themselves; and sometimes that product isn’t locally grown. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, you are very likely getting it at a better price than you would at the grocery store. The point is simply to shop informed, so you know exactly what you are bringing home and where it came from.
Know What Grows When
A little seasonal know-how goes a long way, too. When you know what is actually in season here in the Carolinas, you can spot the difference at a glance. You can find plenty of that in-season guidance in my regular articles on these pages, and in my Saturday morning “From the Market” posts over on Instagram and Facebook. Here is an easy example: lemons, limes, and oranges do not readily grow in North Carolina. Maybe in a greenhouse, maybe here and there, but citrus is simply not a typical North Carolina crop. So if you spot a table of citrus at a market billing itself as “all local,” let that be your cue to ask a few more questions.
Look for the Label (or not)
One more handy tip: most fresh-picked produce will not carry the little stickers you are used to seeing on grocery store fruits and vegetables. What it may carry instead is a “Certified SC Grown” or “Got to Be NC” label, and those are wonderful signs you are buying the real, homegrown deal. When in doubt, just ask. Shopping local is a conversation, it’s a way to connect and get to know your local farmers. For me, that is one of the very best parts of shopping locally.
So grab your tote bags and your sense of adventure. Here is where to go.
My Saturday Morning Market Round
Let me start with my own regular circuit. Most Saturdays you’ll find me hitting these markets, often in this very order. Every once in a while, if time allows, I slip in a stop at the Southend Market too.
Matthews Community Farmers Market, 188 N. Trade Street, Matthews. This market is a personal favorite. I’ve been shopping with the farmers and producers who call the Matthews Farmers Market home for years, and for good reason. This is a true producers-only market, one of the largest and most diverse in the greater Charlotte area, established back in 1991. Everything sold here, except the fish, is grown, raised, or made within roughly 50 miles of Matthews. The seafood is sourced from catches off the North Carolina coast, which is more than 50 miles away, and that is what makes it an exception. Open Saturdays year round. Look for special market dates for holidays and at random times during the season. Great while-you-shop knife sharpening services here as well. Local folks, local farms, local food… that is the whole point.
Uptown Farmers Market, 300 S. Davidson Street, Charlotte. A Saturday market with a winter and a spring season, featuring produce, meats, fish, coffee, baked goods, plus cooking demos and music.
Here’s a fun fact: did you know that I write the recipes each week for the Uptown Farmers Market email newsletter? I’ve been sharing seasonal recipes featuring local market products since 2020 and I love it.
This year, the market took all of my recipes and some from local farmers and vendors and organized them all into an online cookbook. You can see it all here.
Keep Shopping Local Charlotte Farmers Markets
Charlotte Regional Farmers Market, 1801 Yorkmont Road, Charlotte. One of North Carolina’s state-operated markets, this is the big one, open year round, several days a week. It is a mix of true local growers and resale vendors. I suggest you seek out the actual farmers and ask where the produce was grown. Building 1 is all local producers, mostly there on Saturdays. Buildings 2 and 3 are a mix of local producers and those who resell. In the Greenery Shed, or Building 4, you’ll also find local producers who maybe do one or two markets a month. It’s always worth a stroll around to see who you might find from building to building.
South End Market at Atherton Mill, 2000 South Boulevard, Charlotte. A community-minded market just off the Rail Trail, serving the neighborhood since 2010 with a focus on small local farms, ranchers, and makers. Open Saturdays, year round. Easy to reach by the Light Rail. If you are driving, however, parking here might take a minute. Be patient. You will find a spot.
A Market That Comes to Your Neighborhood: The Neighborhood Farmers Market
Here is a woman after my own heart. I’ve known Elizabeth Anne Dover-Bishop, who owns The Farm at Dover Vineyards with her family in Concord, for years. We’ve done cooking classes and wine tastings together in years past. Nowadays, in addition to her work at the vineyard, she runs a clever, community-minded operation called The Neighborhood Farmers Market. Rather than asking you to come to her ( which you still can do), she brings the farm to you, popping up in eight Charlotte neighborhoods throughout the week from spring into fall.
What I love most is the model. Elizabeth grows lovely produce on her own Concord farm, then fills out each market table with the best from a whole network of other local growers and makers, everyone from a neighbor selling backyard eggs to larger farms like Bush-N-Vine and Barbee Farms, plus local food artisans such as Duke’s Bread and Nana’s Porch pimento cheese. The result is a true one-stop local shop, aggregated so you can gather the best of many farms in a single, friendly stop. She even offers a CSA with weekly pickup Uptown.
And there is NC wine here, too!
Here is a happy bonus. Elizabeth Ann is also a North Carolina winemaker, crafting a wonderful collection of wines under the Dover Vineyards label.
The vineyard itself, like so many across our state, is a destination for shopping local in its own right, with a tasting room, live music, and farm-to-table dinners through the season. And here is something worth knowing: most North Carolina wineries now offer online ordering with home delivery. It is always more fun to go sip and swirl for yourself in one of the many tasting rooms scattered across the state, but when life gets busy, ordering a few bottles online is a quick and easy way to keep your wine local, too.
Because these are weekday-evening and Saturday-morning pop-ups, and the lineup shifts with the seasons, her Instagram is hands down the best place to catch the current week’s days, times, and spots.
Recent and regular host locations have included Local Loaf in NoDa, The Common Market in Plaza Midwood, Rhino Market over in Wesley Heights, The Everyday Market in LoSo, Pasta & Provisions in both Montford and Wilmore, Summit Coffee in Eastover, and The Market at 7th Street Uptown, plus her long-running Saturday spot at the University City Farmers Market.
Give her a follow at @thefarmatdovervineyards and at @neighborhoodfarmersmkt both on instagram to plan your week.
Monday Means Shopping Local at Freshlist
If your weekend got away from you, the team at Freshlist has your Monday afternoon covered. Freshlist is a Charlotte-based food hub, a wholesaler that specializes in connecting local North Carolina and South Carolina farms to chefs, restaurants, and home cooks. Think fresh produce and proteins, plus eggs, dairy, and pantry staples, all sourced from a rotating roster of local North and South Carolina farm partners.
Every Monday afternoon they open their warehouse for a neighborhood market, from 2 to 6 p.m. at 1300 Pegram Street in Charlotte’s Belmont neighborhood. There is parking right out front, and they take cards, mobile pay, and cash. It is a wonderful way to kick off your week with a fridge full of the good, local stuff, and a smart option for anyone whose schedule does not line up with the Saturday morning crowd.
Shopping Local at Charlotte Farmers Markets Is Worth It
Beyond my Saturday regulars, here are more wonderful markets and local shops right around town. Once you get used to the taste of a just picked peach or tomato, fresh off the vine cukes and more, it’s hard to go back to commodity crops that have been waiting for you in a grocery store warehouse.
Mecklenburg County Market, 1515 Harding Place, Charlotte. This is the oldest farmers market in the state of North Carolina, and it’s right here in Charlotte! Open most days of the week, making local produce and goods convenient for shoppers nearly any day. It is also home to Beverly McLaughlin of Beverly’s Fine Foods, whose family has been at the core of this little market since the very beginning.
A Couple of Local Bakeries Worth Knowing
Not everything local happens under a market tent. A pair of Oakhurst bakeries, just down the block from each other on Monroe Road, are turning out some of the best bread and pies in town, both using locally milled flour and local produce.
Thoughtful Baking Company, 4418-A Monroe Road, Charlotte. After five years of building a devoted following at area farmers markets, chef Mary Jayne Wilson opened her first brick-and-mortar shop here in the Oakhurst neighborhood in 2026. Her farm-to-table pot pies, quiches, and seasonal desserts are made from scratch using ingredients from local North Carolina farmers. The shop is open Thursday through Sunday, and you’ll still find her tables at the Matthews, Uptown, and Davidson markets.
Verdant Bread, 4410-C Monroe Road, Charlotte. Just down the block, this spirited little sourdough bakery turns out naturally leavened loaves, baguettes, ciabatta, and English muffins using fresh-milled flour from mills right here in North Carolina. The shop is open Tuesday through Friday, and you can also catch them Saturday mornings at the Uptown and Matthews markets. Pre-order a loaf or sign up for their weekly bread subscription for an easy pickup.
Shop Local in Union County
Union County Farmers Market, 805 Skyway Drive, Monroe. A long-running, local-only county market with fresh fruit and vegetables, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised pork and chicken, farm fresh eggs, local honey, baked goods, plants, and artisan crafts.
Waxhaw Farmers Market, downtown Waxhaw, at the corner of Price Avenue and N. Church Street. Another true growers-and-producers-only market open Saturday mornings, roughly 9 a.m. to noon, April through December, with a winter market in the off-season. Expect seasonal produce, pastured meats, fresh eggs, local honey, baked goods, cut flowers, and live music, too.
My Dear Friends at New Town Farms
New Town Farms, 4512 New Town Road, Waxhaw. This one is special. Sammy and Melinda Koenigsberg have farmed this beautiful, lake-dotted Waxhaw land since 1990, making it one of the oldest sustainable family farms in the greater Charlotte area. I’ve been shopping with them for years.
They grow certified organic vegetables and raise pastured poultry, free-range eggs, and heritage-breed hogs. And here is a lovely bit of full-circle history: Sammy was one of the founders of the Matthews Community Farmers Market back in 1991. New Town is also one of the farms I used to feature when I held my series of On The Farm cooking classes years ago.
You’ll still find New Town’s tables at the Matthews Market every Saturday morning, they run a wonderful CSA, and through the summer they make midweek shopping a breeze with their Wednesday Drive-Through.
Here is how it works: you place your order online Monday morning through Tuesday afternoon, then swing by the farm on Wednesday between 4 and 6 p.m. Pull into the gravel drive, take your first left onto the path, roll on past the garden, and they will hand your order right to your car before you loop back out the main driveway. Fresh, organic, and about as easy as local gets.
North to Lake Norman: Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius, Mooresville
Davidson Farmers Market, 120 S. Main Street, Davidson (beside Davidson Town Hall). A grassroots gem started in 2007 and one of the area’s best, with more than 35 vendors who farm within about 100 miles of Davidson. Open Saturday mornings, year round, with live music, cooking demos, and a genuine community feel. This is where you’ll find Barbee Farms and Hodges Family Farm, among many others.
Coddle Creek Farms at the historic Bradford Store, 15915 Davidson-Concord Road, Huntersville. Big news here for 2026. The Bradford family’s beloved 1912 country store has a new chapter, with Coddle Creek Farms now in the historic space. Look for their famous local honey, small-batch nut butters, jams, relishes, and a curated selection of North Carolina products and local produce.
Coddle Creek Farms, 2200 Coddle Creek Highway, Mooresville. The original. A three-generation family honey farm and country store known for some of the finest local honey around, plus my fave, Mama Young’s Nut Butters, ( they even make a nut butter for dogs!), jams, and relishes all made without the junk.
But Wait, There’s More…
Carrigan Farms, 1261 Oakridge Farm Highway, Mooresville. A fifth-generation family farm with roots more than 100 years deep. From asparagus to zucchini, they grow a true big-garden variety, and they are famous for U-pick strawberries in spring, apples in September, and pumpkins come October. During peak seasons, Carrigan also sells on Saturdays at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market. The summer quarry swimming is a whole other adventure!
Josh’s Farmers Market, 189 Williamson Road, Mooresville. A true Lake Norman institution that started more than 30 years ago with two young brothers selling homegrown cantaloupes from a wheelbarrow. Today it is a seven-days-a-week market with produce they grow themselves alongside fruits and vegetables sourced from local growers, plus glass-bottled milk, cheeses, local meats, fresh seafood, free-range eggs, and homemade baked goods.
Huntersville Markets: look for the Novant Health and The Park, Huntersville Farmers’ Market (corner of Reese Boulevard and Gilead Road on the Presbyterian campus) and the Huntersville Growers Market during the season.
Shake the Hands that Feed You
Shopping Farmers Markets in Cabarrus County
Barbee Farms, 1000 Shelton Road NW, Concord. A North Carolina Century Farm, in agricultural use for more than 100 years and now farmed by a sixth-generation Barbee. Roughly 70 acres of fruits and vegetables, a wonderful farm stand, a CSA, and a regular spot at the Davidson Farmers Market. The corn, peaches, and heirloom tomatoes in season are not to be missed.
Piedmont Farmers Market, the home of three Cabarrus County markets. The flagship Winecoff location sits at 518 Winecoff School Road, Concord, and is open every Saturday morning, year round. The group also runs seasonal markets in downtown Concord and Harrisburg (6960 Robinson Church Road) during the growing season. Their whole mission is keeping dollars and green space local, which is music to my ears.
Looking for Local in Gastonia and Belmont
Gastonia Farmers Market, 410 E. Long Avenue, Gastonia. Open April through December with a big selection of fruits, vegetables, baked goods, honey, meats, flowers, plants, and crafts. Each participating farmer earns a grower’s certificate and a farm visit from the market committee, which is a nice mark of accountability.
Belmont Farmers Market, N. Main Street, Belmont. Open on Sundays every week. A pleasant small-town market in walkable downtown Belmont.
Crossing State Lines: South Carolina Farms and Markets
Shopping local does not stop at the state line, friends. Some of our finest peaches, strawberries, and apples come from just south of Charlotte.
Bush-N-Vine Farm, 1650 Filbert Highway, York, SC. A Certified South Carolina Grown family farm that has been in the Hall family for more than 150 years, with its start as a peach orchard. Today you’ll find strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, pumpkins, and so much more, plus U-pick fields, a farm café with ice cream and fruit slushies, a CSA, and even Angus beef. They run additional stands in Rock Hill and Lake Wylie, so there is likely one near you.
Springs Farm and Springs Farm Market, 1010 Springfield Parkway, Fort Mill, SC. A family farm growing peaches and strawberries since the 1930s, right in the heart of Fort Mill. The market carries homegrown produce, homemade soft-serve ice cream, and baked goods from their sister store, The Peach Stand. The season is short and sweet, so go while you can.
Windy Hill Orchard & Cidery, 1860 Black Highway, York, SC. A family-owned boutique apple orchard and cider producer, open every fall from mid-August through Christmas. Come for pick-your-own apples, fresh-pressed cider, award-winning hard cider, apple butter, and hot cider donuts made right in front of you.
Black’s Peaches, 1800 Black Highway, York, SC. A family farm growing sweet peaches since 1923, now four generations deep and just down the road from Windy Hill. The year-round market sells produce grown on their own land and by partner farms around York County and the surrounding area, plus a grill serving lunch made from that produce and local grass-fed beef, along with ice cream, honey, and jellies. They keep over 50 acres in peaches with more than 20 varieties, offer pick-your-own in season, and throw a big fall festival come October.
NC Farm Stands Around the State
This is a section I keep adding to in this post, so come back and check for updates.
Seven Sisters Farm – 19562 Hwy 8; Denton NC 27239 Seven Sisters Farm stewards 25 acres in Central NC produce premium fruits and vegetables to feed local families. This is a family farm and yes there really are seven sisters ( read the story on their website) you’ll find on Saturdays at the Uptown Farmers Market in Charlotte. During the week the farm stand is open during the regular season Wednesday-Friday from 11am to 6 pm.
What Is a CSA, and Should You Join One?
If you have seen the letters “CSA” pop up and nodded along without quite knowing what they meant, you are in very good company. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and it is one of the smartest ways to eat local all season long.
Here is how it works. You buy a “share” in a farm’s harvest at the start of a season, paying the farmer up front. In return, you receive a steady supply of fresh produce, usually weekly, for the length of the season. Think of it as a standing subscription to the very best of what that farm is growing, picked at its peak and ready for you to pick up.
Why I love it: your up-front payment gives the farmer working capital exactly when they need it most, at planting time, and you share a little in the rhythm of the season. Some weeks overflow with tomatoes and corn; other weeks surprise you with something you’ve never cooked before, which is half the fun. Many farms now offer flexible options, from full shares to smaller half shares, and some let you customize your box.
Ask your favorite grower at the market whether they run a CSA. It might be the answer to making your shopping local adventures all the easier.
The Secret to Saturday Morning Sleeping In: Newsletters and Pre-Orders
Now for my favorite little insider tip, and the one that will save you from setting a 6 a.m. alarm on your one morning to rest.
So many of our local farmers and markets now send out email newsletters, and these are pure gold. Subscribe to the ones for the farms you love, and you’ll often get a heads-up on exactly what is being harvested that week, sometimes with the chance to place an order ahead of time for a simple Saturday morning pickup.
What does that mean for you? No more racing to the market at the crack of dawn, elbowing in to make sure you snag the last of the heirloom tomatoes before they sell out. You reserve what you want during the week, then breeze in on Saturday, grab your bag, and go. More sleep, less stress, and you still come home with the best of the harvest. That, friends, is a win all around.
Team Rose Bread is a wonderful example. Doug and Kaitlin Rose and their crew of kids run a cottage bakery out of their Charlotte home, turning out 100% naturally leavened sourdough loaves and, my personal weakness, fresh sourdough bagels. They bake in batches for a weekly pop-up pickup, and you order ahead through their website or Instagram. Sign up for a one or three month subscription, pick your breads each week, and choose pickup or local delivery. This is often where I score my fresh baked bagels! The caption for the trio of photos below,” About that time I picked up a dozen Team Rose Bread blueberry bagels and couldn’t resist waiting till I got home to dive in!”
So as you make your market rounds, ask each farmer if they have a newsletter or an online ordering option, and sign right up. Your future, well-rested self will thank you.
Shop Local from Home: Local Products to Order Online
Here is the beautiful thing about shopping local these days: you don’t always have to leave the house to do it. A growing number of North Carolina makers will ship their goods straight to your door, which means you can keep supporting small producers even on the busiest weeks. A few of my favorites to get you started:
Spicewalla, Asheville. Founded by James Beard Award-winning chef Meherwan Irani, Spicewalla roasts, grinds, and packs its spices, herbs, and blends by hand in small batches, so they reach you fresh and full of flavor. Order online and give your whole spice cabinet a refresh.
Tidewater Grain Company, Oriental. This family and farmer-owned operation brought heirloom Carolina Gold rice, the first rice grown in the Americas, back into production, and today they are the largest grower of it in the world. Order brown or white Carolina Gold rice, middlins, and rice flour for home delivery. I wrote a whole piece on how to cook it and where to find it, so be sure to give that a read.
The Michael’s Place, Huntersville. A mom-and-son duo baking small-batch cookies with real, feel-good ingredients, from the peanut-butter-and-chocolate MP Cookie to the dye-free Red Cookie. Check out any of the posts I have done about 11 year old Michael and his home baking business on my instagram page. Order online for home or gift delivery, or catch them at the South End Market or the Huntersville Farmers Market.
NC Wines (ncwine.org). Most North Carolina wineries now ship or offer home delivery, and the official NC wine site lets you browse the state’s wineries and find the ones that deliver right to your door. Get links to all the NC Wineries that have online stores here.
And this is just a starting point. So many of our local farms, bakers, and makers now offer online ordering. If you have a favorite, check their website. Chances are good you can have a taste of local delivered straight to your doorstep.
Go Shop Local, and Tell Them Heidi Sent You
There you have it, a season’s worth of markets, farm stands, and farm stores all within easy reach of Charlotte. Pick one this weekend. Strike up a conversation with the person who actually grew your food. Taste the difference for yourself. Keep those grocery dollars close to home, support the families who feed us, and eat better while you’re at it.
Things happen. Not every farmers market in North or South Carolina is listed here. But if you have a local market or farm stand you love, I sure would love to hear about it. Just let me know in the comments below and I’ll add it to the article.
Heidi Billotto is a culinary storyteller, educator, and on-air expert who brings local food to life wherever she goes. She connects small family farmers, independent producers, and regional makers to the people, plates, and media outlets that showcase their work, then shows her readers and followers how to bring those ingredients home to their own tables. Known for her deep relationships, genuine curiosity, joyful style, and sincere passion for all she does, Heidi elevates local food culture on the regular through cooking, teaching, travel, and media.
And whenever you see those five little words, #TellThemHeidiSentYou, know that they are my personal seal of approval. It means I have been there, I believe in the folks behind it, and I am sending you their way with my whole heart. So go on…
Find a local farmers market or two this week, experience the joys of shopping locally, and #TellThemHeidiSentYou