Skip to results

How we verify listings

A market listing is only useful if the hours are right on the day you go. This page explains where each part of a listing comes from, how we decide between sources that disagree, and what the labels on a market's page mean.

Which source we trust most

Most markets appear in more than one source, and the sources don't always agree. When they don't, we use the most direct one, in this order:

  1. Corrections. Changes we make by hand, often from a market manager or a reader. Later data updates never overwrite them.
  2. The market's own website. Days, hours and seasons the market publishes itself.
  3. State market directories, published by state agriculture departments.
  4. Public online business listings.
  5. Overture Maps, an open map dataset, mainly for websites and phone numbers.
  6. The USDA Local Food Directories, our starting list of markets, farm stands and payment options.

What the labels mean

Hours verified, with a date and a source
Shown under a market's hours: when we last confirmed them, and where. "Market's website" means we read them from the market's own site; "Ripe & Local" means we corrected them by hand.
Not verified
We couldn't confirm the market's hours or season from any source we trust. We'd rather say so than guess, so check with the market before you go.
Verified recently, or "Info may be outdated"
At the bottom of each market page. A listing checked in the last 30 days says how many days ago; one checked in the last 90 days gives the date. Anything older is marked as possibly outdated, with the month it was last checked.
Season
The months a market is open, on the 12-month strip. A dashed outline means we don't know the season yet.

Other checks we run

  • Addresses. We check that a market's address, town and map position agree, and fix listings filed under the wrong town.
  • Duplicates. When two listings describe the same market at the same place, we keep one so it isn't listed twice.
  • Closed markets. Markets we confirm have closed for good are taken out of search results and lists.
  • Farm stands. Stands that sell what they grow on the farm are labelled "Farm Stand", so they're not mistaken for a weekly market.

When we get it wrong

Markets change their hours and seasons every year, and some never publish them, so a listing can be out of date. Every market page has a link to send a correction, or you can contact us directly. See About Ripe & Local for more on who we are.