QC Farmers’ Market starts in Rock Island

Jonathan Turner
·2 min read
QC Farmers’ Market starts in Rock Island

The QC Farmers’ Market is returning to Schwiebert Park in downtown Rock Island for its third season, starting Saturday, May 4, 2024.

Featuring homegrown produce, handmade foods and agricultural products, the weekly market is run Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon through November. New and returning vendors will be set up with their fresh local products for sale, and customers will be eligible for drawings to win prizes every hour.

The farmers’ market runs in Schwiebert Riverfront Park, downtown Rock Island on Saturday mornings May, 4, 2024 through November, weather permitting.
The farmers’ market runs in Schwiebert Riverfront Park, downtown Rock Island on Saturday mornings May, 4, 2024 through November, weather permitting.

“We are thrilled to offer customers an expanded selection of products this year,” said Ian Forslund, president at QC Farmers’ Market and co-owner of Mad Farmer’s Garden in Coal Valley. “New vendors this season will feature locally-grown strawberries, personal care products that feature local agricultural products, and produce grown in urban community gardens.

“We are excited to welcome back many vendors too,” said Dylan Parker, QC Farmers’ Market board member and a Rock Island alderman. “Many of our most popular vendors will be returning for another season, including Dailey Farms Goat Milk, Suzanne’s Swiss Bakery, Grateful Graze, Crandall Farms, and The House with the Flowers.”

Founded in 2021, QC Farmers’ Market is a cooperative of farmers and producers local to the Quad Cities area. Customers who purchase food and products at the QC Farmers’ Market buy directly from the producer, and all products are homegrown and handmade, without exception.

All vendors at the QC Farmers’ Market accept SNAP payment, and thanks to a grant with Experimental Station, Illinois LINK card holders get double their value on every SNAP dollar spent, with matching funds to buy fresh produce and food-bearing plants.

Complete List of Vendors for the 2024 Season:

  • African Organics, Rock Island (Produce)

  • Broken Shovel Farms, Joy, Ill. (Coffee, produce)

  • Grateful Graze, Geneseo (Beef, pork, and chicken products)

  • Crandall Farms, Coal Valley (Honey, beeswax products, quail and chicken eggs, produce)

  • Cravers Little Red Barn, Taylor Ridge (Produce, soap)

  • Dailey Farm, Alexis, Ill. (Goat milk, soap)

  • Family Thyme Farms, Hillsdale (Produce, food-bearing plants)

  • Flamingoberry, Davenport (Personal care products)

  • Flora Flower Farm, Taylor Ridge (Floral arrangements)

  • From the Earth Bakery, Rock Island (Baked goods, frozen treats)

  • Ineichen Tomatoes, Milan and Blue Grass (Produce)

  • Inner Light Essentials, Rock Island (Personal care products)

  • Lathe & Lambsquarters, Cambridge (Produce, maple syrup, canned goods, meat, eggs)

  • Mad Farmer’s Garden, Coal Valley (Produce, spices, baked goods)

  • Never Dun Growing, Geneseo (Produce, CBD products, pork, poultry, eggs)

  • Old Paths Farm, Aledo (Jams, preserves, baked goods)

  • Perennial Crops Nursery, Rock Island (Food bearing trees and shrubs)

  • Shire Regenerative Farm, Coal Valley (Food bearing garden plants)

  • Strawberry Fields, Orion (Strawberries and produce)

  • Suzanne’s Swiss Bakery, Rock Island (Baked goods)

  • Tapestry Farms, Rock Island and Davenport (Produce)

  • The House with the Flowers, Davenport (Floral arrangements)

For more information on the Rock Island market (which is year-round online), click HERE.

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