As the Garden State, New Jersey is home to countless farms and businesses who produce the best produce of each season. Cooking seasonally means enjoying vibrant colors and flavors sourced locally in Northern New Jersey — and farmers markets galore. One of our favorites — the Historic Downtown Special Improvement District (HDSID) Spring/Summer Farmers Market — is located at the Grove PATH Plaza and kicks off on Monday, April 25th, taking place every Monday and Thursday from 4PM to 8PM now through December 22nd. Keep reading for the full list of vendors scheduled to be at this year’s HDSID Farmers Market in Jersey City.
The Vendors
Stony Hill Farms is family-owned and sells fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, baked goods, and flowers grown in the 20,000 square foot greenhouse. The farm itself also provides U-Pick for strawberries, pumpkins, and vegetables.
If you’re in the market for giant, soft-baked, organic cookies then Bang Cookies is a must-eat spot. Popular flavors include triple chocolate, hazelnut stuffed, snickerchurro, apple pie, and bourbon kitchen sink.
This smoothie and soup shop provides natural, whole foods — unrefined, unprocessed, non-GMO, and organic products with the goal of overcoming global hunger one order at a time with a one-for-one giveback program. The goal of Blend FC is to eradicate malnutrition in the community by starting with better ingredients at home.
Caribbean Hibiscus is a non-alcoholic wine and drink mixer made with sorrel — a leafy, green plant that has a sour lemon flavor when eaten raw. The sorrel is fermented and made into this gluten-free, non-alcoholic alternative.
Circle Brook Farm is a Certified Organic vegetable farm located in Andover. The farm sells fresh, organic vegetables including greens, carrots, potatoes, and more.
Dixie Grace launched her company in 2022 with classic take on peanuts — boiled + seasoned. Boiled peanuts have nearly four times the amount of antioxidants found in other kinds of peanuts and are even considered a meat replacement. Dixie Grace is setting out to convert Hudson County one tasty boiled peanut at a time.
Inspired by Icelandic coffee culture, East Iceland Coffee Co. was founded on the idea that coffee is at the center of bringing people together. The mission is to roast and share uniquely delicious coffees that are fairly sourced. The coffee company has even created a Mile Square City blend with brownie, almond, pomegranate, and citrus.
EJL Market
The EJL Market specializes in a large variety of plants, in all shapes and sizes. Each week HDSID Farmers Market attendees will find plants fit for a desk, nightstand, or even a floor plant for a living room. The EJL Market is also able + ready to give customers tips on how to best care for their new plant baby.
This local hot sauce company is focused on providing all-natural, vegan, and gluten-free sauces that pack a punch. A few of the flavors include Roasted Jalapeno + Green Habanero, Cayenne + Garlic, and Black + Blueberry Habanero.
Florasylva is a small-scale micro flower farm located in Somerset County. The cut flower garden was established not just to cultivate specialty, hard-to-ship cut flowers, but to coexist with the surrounding environment. Florasylva practices no-till sustainable farming methods to grow chemical-free flowers. The garden is abundant from mid-June until mid-October, currently specializing in Lisianthus and Dahlias.
The menu at Glish features sparkling beverages made with simple ingredients that are packed with flavor and easy to enjoy. With flavors like yuzu ginger, chai spice ginger, and mango ginger it’s hard to choose just one.
The mission at Gourmet Nuts + Dried Fruit is to source the best products for health and pleasure. The quick turnover of product inventory allows the team to quickly deliver fresh, dried products right to a customer’s doorstep. Gourmet Nuts + Dried Fruit focus on all-natural, whole products like nuts, seeds, nut butters, and dried fruit using no preservatives and sugar.
Hoboken Farms has been serving the local community since 1992 and specializes in vibrant flavors of pasta sauce. The four flavors include marinara, basil marinara, low sodium marinara, and vodka sauce. Each sauce is vegan and gluten-free and is set apart from other sauces in the amount of olive oil used in the recipe, which customers will notice at the top of the jar. For full flavor, stir and enjoy.
This is a collection of all-natural, small batch self-care rituals made with organic ingredients. The creator is a nomad at heart, fascinated by worldwide culture and nature while traveling around the globe. Those travels inspired this collection and brought the world to Jersey City.
Pampered Pug sells single-ingredient, grain-free dog snacks known as Nackie’s. The four-legged friends of Hudson County will love stopping at this booth to shop for snacks made with real, human-grade meat with no additives or fillers.
The creative minds at Pollen Basket aim to explore and foster the relationship between people and pollinators through food. The Pollen Basket menu includes cookies, pies, crumb cakes, and more.
River Valley Community Grains emerged from a project known as Restoring the Musconetcong River Valley, which itself began as an effort to restore the soils, waters, farms, and sacredness of the river valley. River Valley Community Grains produces wheat products like oats, a variety of flours, popcorn, and more.
April showers bring May flowers at Rudo Plants + Home. The plant experts behind this shop specialize in potted plants, rare plants, and fresh flowers. The team also offers services as house plant stylists, finding the best plant for your space.
Savvy Fit Soaps sells handmade, all-natural bath and beauty products including lotion, bar soap, deodorant, and candles. The lineup features unique scents like oatmeal + mints, anise + frankincense, and charcoal + eucalyptus.
Stella’s Empanadas has made New Jersey’s Best Empanada list on NJ.com for eleven years in a row. The shop has been featured in NJ Channel, NJ Star Ledger, Jersey Journal, Saveur Magazine, and on Telemundo. The menu includes a variety of flavors like beef + cheese, chicken calabrese, italiano, ham + cheese, BBQ pork, philly cheesesteak, and more.
ThatPastaClub is a local go-to for fresh, hand-made pasta produced in small batches and accompanied by various sauces made from scratch. The curated menu drops every other Thursday with a rotating selection of hand-rolled, filled, or extruded pasta. The ingredients used in the dishes are seasonal, balanced, and delicious. Not to mention, the quality exceeds that of restaurants while being accessible from the comfort of your own home.
Uncle Bob’s Kettle Corn is a family-owned Hillsdale company that makes high-quality, gourmet kettle corn in a variety of flavors. The popcorn is made in an old fashioned style where each batch is hand stirred + made fresh in a kettle.
Vesco Foods offers barrel cured pickles, selective gourmet olives, and delicious appetizers. Vesco Foods makes over 25 different kinds of picks and olives so there’s never a shortage of options from classic flavors to new favorites.
Yup Pup dog treats are infused with CBD to help dogs with anxiety find a little more peace and calm. Made with all-natural ingredients, these non-GMO treats come in two sizes and three tail-wagging flavors.
Zoom Out Mycology produces fungi-centric products and creates programs geared towards appreciation, understanding, and conservation of mushrooms. Products include mushroom tea and loose leaf tea tins.
2022 Sponsors of the Spring/Summer Farmers Market
This amazing community event would not be possible without the support of the following sponsors: Delivery Basics + Pickup, Yelp NJ, PostNet, Silverman, The Ashford, Six26, Liberty Harbor, Zeppelin Hall, Bang Cookies, Whole Spectrum Autism, Stella’s Empanadas, Hudson Hound JC, Surf City, Jersey Wine + Spirits, and Sawyer Smith Residential.
About HDSID
The Historic Downtown Special Improvement District (HDSID) is a public-private partnership, 501(C) through which property and business owners have a direct impact on Historic Downtown Jersey City neighborhoods and their development.
HDSID works with local businesses, property owners, and neighborhood associations in conjunction with the City government to promote the area, improve the services provided and undertake any and all activity to make Historic Downtown Jersey City a better place to live, work and visit.
The Historic Downtown Special Improvement District (HDSID) Spring/Summer Farmers Market is located at the Grove PATH Plaza and kicks off on Monday, April 25th. Shop locally-made goods on Mondays and Thursdays from 4PM to 8PM now through December 2022. You can call 201-547-3554 or reach out to rachel.hdsid@gmail.com with questions.