For Baton Rouge residents, Red Stick Farmers Market is the best way to bring farm-to-table dining to those who love fresh food and friendly vendors.

The market began in 1996 when LSU alumnus Chris Campany and landscape architecture Professor Suzzane Turner recruited farmers to start the local market and create the Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (BREADA), a non-profit organization that champions a strong and healthy local food system for the city.

In its 25 years of being in commission, the Red Stick Farmers Market has been vital in delivering fresh food and drawing attention to local farmers and vendors. 
This year’s seasonal market has a slew of vendors from different areas in southern Louisiana. The year-round market not only allows small local businesses to thrive, but is also key in promoting healthy eating. Located next to Main Street Market in downtown Baton Rouge, also run and owned by BREADA, residents flock to see what fresh and new items are being sold. 
BREADA mobile marketing coordinator Lisa Gray is one of the key components to making these markets run smoothly. Gray, who has been working for BREADA for almost a decade, discussed how they are currently holding a weekly market on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
“On our Saturday market downtown, we have about 14 vendors,” Gray said. “Our Thursday market has about 8 to 10 vendors, but they are all similar vendors.”
The Thursday market is located in the parking lot of Pennington Biomedical Research Center at 6400 Perkins Road, and the Tuesday market is located at Goodwood Library on 7711 Goodwood Blvd.
At the Saturday market I was able to get some great local goods, such as Chicken Florentine soup by SaySaye’s Soups, derived from Batchelor.
On top of soups, this vendor also sells breads, cheese tortes, cinnamon rolls and other baked goods. The soup was extremely savory and is something I could see myself eating regularly, and the cinnamon rolls were perfect for breakfast the next day.

Since it is strawberry season, I also got a fresh batch of strawberries from a Ponchatoula farm called Morrow Farms. Getting two small baskets for $5 total was just enough for me to cut up and serve to my friends before a crawfish boil. 

To bring myself back to my freshman year roots when I would always get City Gelato from On-The-Geaux in the Student Union on campus, I made sure to get a small cup of the blueberries and cream flavor that was probably the best flavor of gelato I had tried in a long time.

The last item I purchased was a jar of strawberry jam from Lena Farms, a local farm from Clinton. The vendor, political science junior Armani Walker, said that she and her grandmother run the business together and that she has been making these jams with her for about nine years now. The jam was perfect for making my toast in the morning during the school week.

All in all, the Red Stick Farmers Market sells all the necessities for making good, healthy food at home rather than going to your run-of-the-mill grocery store. With other vendors selling items such as honey, jams, herbs and others, the market is a worthy place to spend your Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday morning.