Visitors / Employees
Eat & Grow Local
University City is lucky to have seven farmers markets offering locally grown, sustainable, and organic produce, at six different locations. Two operate year round: the Saturday morning markets at Clark Park and at Powelton Ave. & 38th St.
Our Markets
Clark Park Farmers Market
Where: 43rd St. & Baltimore Ave.
When: Thursday, 3pm-7pm (Memorial Day thru Thanksgiving); Saturday, 10am-2pm
Products: Wide variety of organic and conventional produce, meat and dairy products, baked goods, cut flowers.
Click here for information on the vendors at the market.
University Square Farmers Market
Where: 36th at Walnut Street
When: Wednesday, 10am-2pm (May 4th thru November 25th)
Products: Conventional vegetables, IPM fruit & berries, dairy products from pastured animals, Amish canned & baked goods, European-style baked goods, cut flowers
Drexel Tuesday Farmers Market
Where: Chestnut St. between 32nd and 33rd St.
When: Tuesdays, 11AM-3PM (April 19th thru November 22nd)
Products: Fresh and locally grown fruits, vegetables, and a variety of baked goods, canned and preserved fruits and vegetables
Drexel Friday Farmers Market
Where: 33rd and Market Streets, in front of the Drexel Recreation Center, rain or shine
When: Fridays, 10AM-2PM (July thru early November)
Products: Seasonal fruits and vegetables as well as jarred fruit butters, select coffees, fruit ciders and more
Lancaster Ave. Farmers Market
Where: East of 38th St at Powelton and Lancaster Aves.
When: Saturday 10 am – 4 pm; Year round
Products: Produce, dairy and baked goods
VA Medical Center Farmers Market
Where: 38th St. & Woodland Ave. (inside the hospital gates at the north entrance)
When: Thursday, 10AM – 2PM; (April thru November)
Products: Produce, dairy and baked goods
For more info, call (800) 949-1001
The Radian
Where: 3925 Walnut Street
When: Friday, 11AM – 3PM (opening August 26th)
Products: Produce, sustainably raised meats, baked goods
Live Music
Baltimore Ave. Farmers Market
Where: Baltimore Ave. & 48th St.
When: Thursdays, 3pm–7pm (opening April)
Farmstand at the Walnut Hill Community Farm
Where: Market St., between 46th St. & Farragut St.
When: Tuesdays and Fridays, 3pm–6pm
Products: Fruits & vegetables grown onsite at the farm
Community Supported Agriculture & Buying Clubs
Several CSAs and Buying Clubs have delivery locations in University City. You can find a list of local CSAs and Buying Clubs at Local Food Guide: Philadelphia and Farm to City.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Typically members or “share-holders” of the farm pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation. In return, they receive shares in the farm’s harvest throughout the growing season. (Source: USDA)
Buying Clubs allow their members to order food for periodic delivery, typically once a week. Unlike CSAs, buying clubs operate on a “pay-as-you-go” basis, allowing their members to order as much or as little food as they want from week to week. As with CSA deliveries, buying club members pick up their weekly orders from designated drop-off locations. The items offered in local food buying clubs are often not available to consumers anywhere else: artisan meats and cheeses, pastured and raw dairy products and heirloom varieties of local fruits and vegetables.
Grow Your Own Food
The only way to get fresher food than at the farmers market may be to grow it yourself. Growing your own has the advantage of completely eliminating the environmental impact of shipping and packaging your food. Also, by growing your food, you can be 100% sure of the methods used to produce it, including using organic fertilizers and pesticides.
Community gardens are a great option if you don’t have a front or backyard in which to plant fruits and vegetables. Check this map of community gardens in University City for a garden where you can get a plot at minimal cost and contact us at sustainability@universitycity.org if you’d like to get in touch with one of the garden coordinators.
Several gardens maintain their own websites, including the Woodlands Community Garden, the Walnut Hill Community Farm, and the Sloan Street Community Garden.
Greensgrow Farm in Kensington is a wonderful source of unique plant varieties and a pioneer in urban agriculture.
WePatch.org is “an urban gardening project that brings together people looking for gardening space with those who have space to offer.”
The Philadelphia Harvest Study is a fascinating study on the productivity of community gardens in Philadelphia by faculty in the Department of Planning and Urban Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. The report highlights several University City gardens.