Finding Greens to Beat the Winter Blues: Where to Source Local Produce in the Off-Season

Each season at a local farmers market is unique. Spring is eager yet cautious as bright and tender young greens pulse with new energy. Summer is strong and loud as the heat and sun bring bold colors, big flavors and seemingly endless amounts of tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers and melons. Fall’s voluptuous markets sneak up on you as sizeable gourds, piles of apples and hefty cabbages make their appearance in the stalls.

But what happens in winter when Central Ohio’s cooler nights and shortened, eternally gray days bring the end to the traditional farmers market season?

It’s not as sleepy as you might think. In response to an increased demand for local produce, more Columbus-area growers are embracing Ohio’s chilly winters and continuing to farm year-round.

Selecting cold-tolerant crops like root vegetables and hearty greens, and using protective structures like high tunnels (which are plastic row covers) and greenhouses, local farmers are successfully raising and selling their products through the winter months.

Even though most of Central Ohio’s outdoor farmers markets shut down by Halloween, here are six places where you can still find locally grown vegetables this winter. Together, they represent a steady alternative for sourcing high-quality seasonal produce and supporting local farmers until your favorite outdoor markets open up again next spring.

Columbus Farm Club

This new winter CSA is the collaboration of three local farms: Roots, Fruits and Shoots in Johnstown, Harriet Gardens in North Linden and Three Creeks Produce in Groveport. CSA stands for “community-supported agriculture,” or what the British call a “box scheme,” a program where customers pay growers up front for a regular delivery of whatever is currently being harvested off the farm.  

When farmer Dana Hilfinger of Roots, Fruits and Shoots developed her farm’s business plan, she intentionally chose to grow items that thrive in the shoulder seasons (the period of transition between peak growing seasons). “I love to be outdoors in the fall and winter and increasingly don’t like the heat,” she explains, “and there was a clear demand for produce after the [farmers] markets close.” 

By including three farms, the Columbus Farm Club ensures each share will be sizeable and diversified. “Farming in winter can be unpredictable,” Hilfinger says. “By working together, we mitigate the risk when a cold snap damages a product or low light slows its growth.” Serious cooks will be delighted by Columbus Farm Club’s generous portions and variety of produce offered in each share. Subscribers will receive a regular supply of root crops such as beets and carrots, staples like onions and potatoes, and leafy greens to both cook and enjoy raw. The CSA promises a few “fun items,” like fennel or frozen raspberries, as well.  

Columbus Farm Club offers two options: the Holiday share (four boxes between late November and early January for $288) or the Winterlong share (eight boxes between November and March for $520). Subscribers can also choose to supplement their boxes with homemade breads and baked goods, locally produced teas and jams, and even pasture-raised eggs for additional fees. To sign up for a share, which can be delivered or picked up in six different locations, visit rootsfruitsshoots.com/columbus-farm-club. 

Brick-and-Mortar Options

Two area grocery stores are committed to buying from local farms throughout the year. While each store has its own specialty, these full-service retailers offer more than just produce. The coolers at the Bexley Natural Market (508 N. Cassady Ave.) are always filled with items from area farms including Roots, Fruits and Shoots, Three Creeks, and many Athens-area growers.  

The Beechwold Farm Market (4662 Indianola Ave.) exclusively carries items sourced from Ohio growers. In addition to a full variety of produce staples like mushrooms and microgreens, Beechwold stocks local eggs, frozen meats, grains and pantry staples. After working in the store for a year, Annie Chubbuck bought the store last March from founder Joseph Swain. She loves providing an outlet for so many farmers and makers and expresses gratitude for her customers’ support. “Columbus does community so well,” Chubbuck says. 

Indoor Farmers’ Markets

Not all farmers markets in Columbus close up shop in winter. To keep up your weekly Saturday shopping habit, consider visiting one of three area indoor markets. After Thanksgiving, the outdoor German Village Farmers Market relocates indoors to Parsons North Brewing Co. (685 Parsons Ave.) and becomes the Schumacher Place Farmers Market. The indoor market takes place Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. December through April. The market’s manager, Carol Ross, says while it’s smaller than their outdoor version (with only 10 total vendors), the indoor market remains “food-focused.”  

Starting in November, the Worthington Farmers Market, Central Ohio’s oldest and largest farmers market, sets up each Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon inside the Shops at Worthington Place (7227 N. High St.), taking advantage of the mall’s sleepy traffic, spacious interior pathways and ample parking. There, regular produce vendors such as Franklinton Farms, Gillogly Orchard and Rock Dove Farm will join “several new vendors in multiple categories,” says assistant market manager Karen Chestray.  

Meanwhile in New Albany, you can shop for local produce and baked goods— with the option of grabbing a bite from a local food truck—at the Philip Heit Center (150 W. Main St.) from 9 a.m. to noon every first Saturday from November through March.  

Even though their winter outlets might change, Columbus-area farmers aren’t hibernating. “Growing year-round is good business. It evens out our cash flow and helps us retain employees,” Hilfinger says. Whether you choose to support local growers for taste, quality or environmental reasons, shopping at these sources ensure that locally grown produce will remain on your table all winter long. 

This story is from the November 2023 issue of Columbus Monthly.