Red Stick Farmers Market - Thursday Year Round

Red Stick Farmers Market’s Thursday market ties Baton Rouge food shopping to a wider state effort: BREADA works with the Louisiana Legislature to pass “Greaux the Good,” linking this market to Louisiana-grown food policy as well as weekly shopping. On Thursdays, the market sets up at Pennington Biomedical, 6400 Perkins Road, giving Baton Rouge shoppers a year-round morning stop focused on local farm and food producers. The market is producer-only, so farm vendors sell what they grow themselves, and the mix changes with Louisiana’s seasons rather than following a standard grocery list.

Why it matters locally

Pennington Biomedical hosts this Thursday market at 6400 Perkins Road, placing a year-round farmers market inside a Baton Rouge institution that regularly anchors the weekly schedule. The market is producer-only, which means produce sold by farmers under their tents was grown on their own farms. That policy keeps the emphasis on Louisiana harvests, and the market materials explicitly note that shoppers will find seasonal produce native to Louisiana rather than imported tropical fruit.

BREADA also connects the market to statewide food access work. SNAP Match has long been offered at Red Stick Farmers Market through sponsorship from Louisiana Healthcare Connections, and Greaux the Good is tied to BREADA’s advocacy with the Louisiana Legislature and funded by the state of Louisiana.

What you'll find there

The Thursday mix leans heavily toward Louisiana staples and practical market shopping: seafood, meats, produce, bread, dairy, baked goods, and prepared foods all show up in the vendor roster. Alongside groceries, there are a few plant and body-care vendors that widen the market without shifting it away from food.

• -Pick up grouper filets from a fish vendor.
• -Find snapper filets from another seafood vendor.
• -Stock the freezer with wild-caught, flash-frozen shrimp.
• -Browse stone-ground grits, polenta, cornmeal, rice flour, fresh crimped oatmeal, cornbread, seasonings, jams, jellies, and pickled vegetables.
• -Shop locally grown seasonal vegetables and microgreens.
• -Scoop locally made gelato.
• -Choose beef, pork, salami, and sausage.
• -Take home teacakes and sweet potato pies.
• -Look for vegetables, honey, cut flowers, chicken eggs, and duck eggs.
• -Add coffee beans and espresso drinks to the morning run.
• -Start a garden with flower plants, vegetable plants, and herb seedlings.
• -Sip cold-pressed juices and wellness shots.
• -Bring home fresh hibiscus, hibiscus tea, jellies, preserves, and pickled vegetables.
• -Choose goat milk, yogurt, eggnog, cheesecake, and cheese.
• -Grab baked goods, meat and crawfish pies, Vietnamese iced coffee, and lemonade.
• -Stock up on frozen prepared meals and low-carb or keto baked goods and desserts.
• -Buy pasture-raised Berkshire pork and poultry.
• -Compare breads from Maru Bread Co., including sourdough, brioche, and baguettes.
• -Find Gouda, cheese spreads, and chicken salad.
• -Browse locally grown cactus, succulents, and terrariums.
• -Pick up locally grown, in-season produce at the Red Stick Farmers Market Produce Tent.

The Thursday market runs weekly from 8 a.m. to noon at Pennington Biomedical.

Know before you go

Arrive early for the widest selection, because farmers often sell out by the end of the market. The Thursday market is held at Pennington Biomedical, 6400 Perkins Road, from 8 a.m. to noon. Dogs are not allowed, and restrooms are not available in the market details, so that may shape a quick in-and-out visit.

This is also a producer-only market, so seasonal shifts are part of the experience: Louisiana-grown produce changes through the year, and the market materials note that harvest selection will vary by season.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted at Red Stick Farmers Market, and at all of BREADA’s markets customers can match up to $40 in SNAP purchases. That SNAP Match has long been offered at Red Stick Farmers Market through sponsorship from Louisiana Healthcare Connections. Market details also indicate that payment methods are clearly communicated for visitors planning their purchases.