Crossroads Farmers Market

The Crossroads Farmers Market in Takoma Park, Maryland, is a vibrant community gathering space where people of all backgrounds and incomes can access fresh, healthy food. It features a producers-only market with a range of vendors and offers various activities and events.

Crossroads Farmers Market in Takoma Park, Maryland, is a lively community gathering space for people of all backgrounds and incomes, where families, foodies, neighbors, gardeners, live-music fans, and coffee lovers meet every Wednesday afternoon to eat lunch and stock up on fresh ingredients for the week ahead. This producers-only farmers market features a range of vendors selling fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, honey, coffee, flowers and plants, Central American herbs like chipilín, and tasty prepared foods, as well as food demos and tastings, kids’ activities, live music, free health screenings, and other seasonal events. On average, produce travels just 60 miles from area farms to our market, and our vendors collectively cultivate 368 agricultural acres of fresh food.

Crossroads Farmers Market was founded in 2007 to make fresh, healthy food more affordable and more accessible to residents of the Takoma/Langley Crossroads community. To help increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables, we gladly accept all federal and state nutrition benefits: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps); Women, Infants, and Children Fruit and Vegetable Checks (WIC FVC); Senior/WIC FMNP (Farmers Market Nutrition Program) benefits; and Maryland SUN Bucks (for families with school-aged children who receive free or reduced-price meals). Not only was Crossroads Farmers Market the first farmers market in Maryland to accept nutrition benefits as forms of payment, but also it was the first farmers market in the country to launch a “double dollar” incentive program to match them.

Through our innovative Fresh Checks program, eligible shoppers can get up to $50 in FREE fruits and vegetables every week, enabling them to stretch their buying power to bring home more fresh, healthy food while at the same time supporting local farmers and vendors. Here’s how it works: SNAP shoppers can swipe their Independence Card at our Market Information Tent’s EBT machine, and we’ll match the amount spent up to $50 every week. Shoppers paying with WIC or Senior FMNP benefits can redeem their benefits directly with farmers and then get a matched amount in Fresh Checks to buy more healthy food.

The market was the first in Maryland to accept nutrition benefits and the first in the country to launch a "double dollar" incentive program. They offer a Fresh Checks program where eligible shoppers can get up to $50 in free fruits and vegetables every week.