Little Italy Mercato Wednesday

Little Italy Mercato returns to West Date Street on Wednesday, October 7, for its mid-week edition. It's a certified farmers market in the heart of Little Italy, and this is the smaller, weekday version of the neighborhood's larger Saturday market.

If you've been to the Saturday one, you know the drill: fresh produce, pastured eggs, meat, seafood, bread and pastries, yogurt, cheese and sauces, coffee, specialty treats, and stalls of local artists and crafters, candles and handmade soap. That one runs year-round, rain or shine. The Wednesday edition is a scaled-down version of that same market, bringing farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, honey, yogurt, baked goods and specialty foods to the neighborhood across three blocks of West Date Street. It's the same kind of haul you'd find on the weekend, just on a weekday morning.

The market takes over a good stretch of the neighborhood: the Piazza della Famiglia from India Street to Columbia Street, and West Date Street from Columbia Street to State Street, centered around 550 W Date St. The booths keep a 20-foot fire lane clear at all times, so there's plenty of room to move between the stalls. It's a great spot to pick up your produce and a few specialty items without having to wait for the weekend.

It runs from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM, so you can swing by on your way to work or during a mid-morning break. If you're looking for farm-fresh produce, honey, yogurt, baked goods and specialty foods in Little Italy, this is where to find them.