Countryside Winter Farmers' Market

Countryside Winter Farmers' Market ties a cold-season shopping trip to a larger local-food mission: Countryside is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that runs markets and educational workshops aimed at a resilient and sustainable food culture. The winter market operates in Akron from November through April on Saturday mornings at 2315 Ira Rd., giving shoppers a defined winter schedule rather than a one-off holiday setup. Countryside’s broader work connects people, food, and land across Northeast Ohio, and this market sits inside that longer effort to keep local food moving even after the outdoor season ends.

Why it matters locally

Since 1999, Countryside has connected people, food, and land throughout Northeast Ohio through markets, farm programs, and education. That matters here because the winter market is not a standalone event; it is part of the same organization that re-establishes farms in Cuyahoga Valley National Park and runs farmers' markets in the greater Akron area. Countryside also describes its work as promoting a resilient and sustainable food culture through markets and educational workshops. The market’s local role extends into food-access planning as well, with advisory work around farmers' markets, food access programs, and other local food projects.

What you'll find there

This market’s listings lean less on individual vendor promotion and more on the programs built around seasonal eating, cooking, and farm-connected shopping. The clearest picture comes through Countryside’s own winter-market features and recurring food education.

• -Browse the winter market gift guide created for the Countryside Old Trail School Winter Farmers' Market.
• -Pick up ingredients echoed in the weekly Cooking with Countryside mini-meal kit series, including chopped kale salad, peach bruschetta, and zucchini ribbons with tomato-basil sauce.
• -Look for products tied to seasonal cooking themes featured in market blog posts on asparagus and what it means for food to be in season.
• -Expect a market shaped by farm participation within Countryside’s wider Northeast Ohio local-food network.

Countryside also runs a farmers' market blog and cooking content alongside its market programming, reinforcing the connection between what shoppers buy and how they cook it at home.

The strongest thread here is winter market shopping as part of an organization that teaches seasonality instead of treating the market as a simple point of sale. Countryside publishes posts devoted to asparagus, to the question of what “in season” means, and to recipe formats such as galettes, while also running a mini-meal kit series built around weekly dishes like chopped kale salad and zucchini ribbons with tomato-basil sauce. That educational side is backed by staff specifically assigned to market and local-food work, including Farmers' Market Manager Serena Jones and Director of Local Food Programs Erin Molnar. In practice, that gives the winter market a more instructional feel than a grab-and-go holiday bazaar: the shopping, recipes, and workshops all sit inside one nonprofit food program.

Know before you go

No dogs is the clearest policy detail to plan around for this market. The winter market is held at 2315 Ira Rd. on Saturday mornings, and its season runs from November through April, so it fills the gap after Countryside’s warmer-weather markets wrap up. Restrooms are not listed as available, so this is a trip to keep fairly streamlined. The market is managed by Serena Jones, who is identified by Countryside as Farmers' Market Manager. The site has also handled winter contingencies before: one March market was moved to Our Lady of the Elms during an extended power outage at Old Trail School.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP EBT is accepted at Countryside Winter Farmers' Market. Countryside also highlights SNAP & Produce Perks in its market materials and has announced a WIC nutrition incentive that provided $5 in Carrot Cash tokens for WIC clients, pointing to a broader food-access focus around its markets. Payment methods are presented clearly in the market’s visitor details.