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Frequently Asked Questions

General Market Questions

Who runs the Yardley Farmers Market (YFM)?

Two community members founded the Market in 2015. We are a registered PA non-profit, grass-roots group of community members who make up our volunteer team along with a paid, part-time market manager. Stop by any Saturday to meet us!  We can frequently be found at our information table.

 

What are the Market hours?

The YFM summer market hours are 9:00am-12:00pm every Saturday from the first Saturday in May until the Saturday before Thanksgiving. While we don’t prohibit our farms and vendors from selling before 9:00am, we ask that you allow them the necessary time to set up and get ready for the Market.

 

What happens when the outdoor season ends in November?

Just because the outdoor season closes doesn’t mean there isn’t local food!

YFM’s Winter Farmers’ Market is held indoors at the Lower Makefield Township Community Center, 1550 Oxford Valley Road, Yardley, PA.  The Winter Market is held on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, from December through April.

Please note that we shorten the winter market hours to10:00am-12:00pm.  Due to the tight spacing inside we request that customers wait until 10 am to enter the market.

 

What happens in inclement weather?

Our farmers and vendors work hard all week to grow, raise, and produce the freshest local food in the area. Our policy is “rain or shine”, and we mean it!  Severe weather would be the only reason that a market would be cancelled. Check our home page and/or our social media for up-to-the-minute updates.

 

Who are the farms and vendors at the YFM?

Yardley Farmers Market is a producer-only market. Our mission is to promote sustainability through focusing on locally grown and sourced produce, meats, poultry, eggs, cheeses, and other farm products, while expanding marketing opportunities for local farmers, artisan food vendors and related small businesses by providing increased access to the public.  Click the Vendors tab on our website for information on all our farms and vendors. All of our vendors are from the Bucks County region or from within a 75 mile radius from the market.

Our vendors are happy to engage in conversation about their food, farms, and growing practices.

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Do all the farms and vendors accept alternate methods of payment?

Our vendors are independent businesses, and the majority, if not all, of our farms and vendor  accept cash, cards, Venmo, Applepay, etc.  Please check with each farmer and vendor for specifics.

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What can be purchased at the YFM?

The majority of your weekly grocery shopping can be done at YFM!  Look for fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers, mushrooms, pastured meat, poultry, eggs, honey, bread and bakery items (including gluten free options), frozen ravioli & sauces, honey, natural body care products, coffee and teas, Kombucha, Indian prepared food, sauces, jams, and pickles, among other seasonal items.

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Are all the farmers organic?

Not all our farmers are certified organic; however, they follow organic, regenerative practices or Integrative Pest Management practices.  Please discuss growing practices and pest control directly with our farmers, as they will happily engage in conversation.  You may even walk away with a new recipe!

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What is the seasonality of produce in Pennsylvania?

Fruit and vegetables grown in Pennsylvania grow differently than in warmer climates. Our farmers only sell (and grow) fruit and vegetables that are seasonally appropriate to this area. That’s why you won’t find bananas sold at YFM!  Check out PA Preferred Seasonal Produce Calendar to learn more about Pennsylvania grown produce: https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/pda/documents/business-industry/pa_preferred/documents/SeasonalCalendar-2022.pdf

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Where do I park at YFM?  

The Market has ample free parking within the parking lots directly adjacent to the market. Please do not park in the Buttownwood Barn lot, that is a private lot. There is also parking available along South Main Street in Yardley Borough, which is just a short walk to the market.  Bicycles are welcome too.  Pedestrians are welcome to walk into the market from any entry point.

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Are there restrooms located at the Market?

There are no restrooms in Buttonwood Park for the Summer Market.  Our Indoor  Winter Market location has accessible bathrooms.

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Are there seating areas? 

For the summer Market, we place chairs near our YFM information table under the pavilion, for customers to use.   There are also some benches in Buttonwood Park along the paved walkway.

 

Can I bring my dog to the Market?

Yes, friendly, well-behaved, leashed dogs are permitted at our Summer Market.  We love our four legged friends!

We ask that all dog owners be mindful of their pet. Please pick up after your dog, if Mother Nature calls.  You, as pet owner assume responsibility for any incident that may occur while at the market.

Pets are not allowed inside at the Lower Makefield Township Community Center for the Indoor Winter Market

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Is there YFM merchandise that I can purchase?

We currently offer YFM 10 Year Anniversary canvas tote bags for sale at the information table.  We accept cash and Paypal.

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How can I get involved with the YFM?

It surely takes a village to run a farmers market and we love when community members enjoy the market as much as we, the organizers, do!

We welcome local residents who would like to help us with setting up or putting away the market each week, traffic counts, or whatever you may be good at that can help us!  We offer community service hours for middle and high school students interested in helping out.  Students must be old enough to volunteer without parental supervision - typically eighth grade or above.

Please email our Market Manager for more information (yardleyfarmersmarket@gmail.com).

Food Assistance Programs

Can I use FMNP and SFMNP vouchers at the market?

Two of our Farmers (Solly’s Farm and Love Grows) are authorized by the State of Pennsylvania to accept WIC/FMNP (Farmers Market Nutrition Program) and Senior FMNP vouchers for local and fresh, uncut fruit and vegetables. Farmers from NJ cannot accept these PA vouchers. Please stop by the YFM information table for more information.

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Can I use SNAP/EBT benefits at the Market?

Yes.  The YFM is authorized by the USDA to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (SNAP).

Customers using their SNAP/EBT card will receive a $1 YFM token for each Dollar debited. In addition, thanks to our generous SNAP Partner, St. Andrews Episcopal Church of Yardley, we are able to match your debit amount dollar for dollar up to $30 per market  day.  That means your $1 EBT swipe becomes $2 worth of fresh food!

Please stop at the market information tent to swipe your EBT card to receive YFM Tokens you can use to shop the Market vendors.  Standard SNAP/EBT restrictions apply; therefore, farms and vendors may not give any change on the SNAP Tokens.  The SNAP Tokens are valid only at YFM, but do not have an expiration date and may be used at any time during the Market season.

Households can use SNAP benefits to buy:

  • Foods for the household to eat at home, such as breads and cereals;  fruits and vegetables; meats, eggs and poultry;  cookies, crackers, bakery cakes, seeds and plants, which produce food for the household to eat.

The SNAP YFM cards may not be used to purchase hot food or any food sold for on-premises consumption, alcohol or non-food items such as flowers, cosmetics, grooming items or soaps.

For more information on USDA SNAP eligible foods:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items

Vendor Questions

How do I become a vendor?

Due to our limited space and mission, we carefully curate our farm and vendor roster. We encourage you to email our manager with the name of your business, links to your social media, and of course and a little bit about what you do for possible future consideration.

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Can I sell crafts and/or jewelry at the market?

While we appreciate the beautiful handwork, because of our mission to support local growers and food makers, we keep commerce to the relationships about farming and local artisan food vendors.  We may host culinary-related makers (i.e. functional potters) as pop-up vendors.

Please email us for more information and send along photos and a description of how your items relate to the food world.

 

Can I set up a community table?

We love our community!  If you are a Yardley (or local) non-profit or community group, please send us an email.  Unfortunately, we typically wouldn't offer tables to national organizations.  Since our mission is to connect farmers and food artisans directly with their consumers, and keep the commerce surrounding agriculture and local food, we typically don’t allow fundraising at the Market. While we appreciate all of the amazing initiatives in the community, at this time, we do not allow lemonade stands, flea market sales, backyard gardeners, bake sales, etc.

Organizations with like-minded projects around food, sustainability, the environment, or health and wellness are welcome to reach out to our manager for possible opportunities.

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How can I promote my local business at the YFM?

The YFM is a wonderful way for you to spread the word about your local business. We offer varying sponsorship opportunities to local businesses. See our sponsorship page for more information.

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Can I protest, picket or solicit signatures for a petition at the Market?

We pride ourselves on letting our shoppers enjoy the Market without being approached by any religious, political, protesting, soliciting, petitioning, and/or picketing individual or groups.

We kindly ask that you keep these endeavors outside our Marketplace.

 

Do we have live music at the Market?

We no longer have live music at the Market because we are now filling our limited space with market vendors.  In addition, Experience Yardley offers donation-based Music Off Main concerts in Buttonwood Park on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons in June through August.  Interested musicians should contact them directly.

Please email our Market Manager for more information (yardleyfarmersmarket@gmail.com).

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