On the first Sunday in December, the market at the Main Street train station opens an hour later than it has all summer and closes an hour earlier. From May through November, the Ramsey Farmers Market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. From December through April it runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the same spot on Erie Plaza off Main Street.
The market lists itself as open Sundays year-round at the station. Its window goes from five hours to three, and the market stays open "rain, snow or shine, except when SEVERE weather is expected." Ramsey has a working Sunday food market through the cold months, and it rewards people who know its winter rhythm.
Four November Sundays, then the short schedule
For anyone reading this in early November, the regular 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. hours have four Sundays left. Here is how the calendar lines up from here to the new year:
| Sunday | Market hours | Of note |
|---|---|---|
| November 8 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Regular late-fall market |
| November 15 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Second Chance Toy Collection, per the market's events list |
| November 22 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Last Sunday before Thanksgiving |
| November 29 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Final Sunday of regular hours |
| December 6 onward | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Winter hours through April |
The November 22 date matters for Thanksgiving cooks. It is the last full market before the holiday, so pies, poultry, cheese and late-season produce for the table need to be planned around that morning.
With two fewer hours each Sunday, timing matters more. Market organizers point shoppers to the Ramsey Farmers Market Facebook page and Instagram for last-minute changes. They also post a newsletter on Facebook every Thursday night with that week's special vendors. The market's own advice is that its weekly email newsletter is the best way to stay informed. In winter, Thursday's list is how you plan Sunday.
A roster built for a cold-weather kitchen
The best reason to keep going after Thanksgiving is the shape of the vendor list. In its May 2026 statewide roundup, The Digest credits Ramsey with more than 70 vendors and every-Sunday, year-round operation. Not all of them come every week. The market's current schedule lists about 40 weekly vendors, and alternates and artisans rotate through via the newsletter.
Read that weekly list closely and most of it doesn't depend on a summer harvest. It's cheese, meat, fish, bread, mushrooms, pasta and prepared food, and those are the things a winter kitchen runs on. Here is what several of the anchor vendors list on their own sites.
Produce and fruit
- Norwich Meadows Farm is described by the market as a grower of certified organic vegetables, fruit and herbs, from unusual to traditional. The farm's winter CSA page says winter shares may include roots, potatoes, winter squash, cabbage, alliums and greens, with contents varying by availability. That gives a sense of what the farm grows in the cold months, though it isn't a promise of any given market table.
- Orchards of Concklin in Pomona, New York, lists apples, fresh-pressed cider, pies, cookies, cakes, eggs and cider doughnuts. The market says the farm has been around "since the 1700s," and the orchard's 2026 farmers market schedule lists the Ramsey train station stand on Sundays year-round.
- Tivoli Mushrooms grows oyster, king trumpet, lion's mane, maitake, shiitake and pioppino mushrooms, plus a chef's-choice mix. Madura Farm, also on the weekly list, brings exotic mushrooms and responsibly grown vegetables.
Dairy, meat and fish
- Chaseholm Farm lists raw milk, plain and maple yogurt, grass-fed beef, heritage pork, and cheeses including Nimbus, Camembert, Stella Vallis, Alpage, Moonlight and Red Beard.
- Valley Shepherd Creamery lists sheep-milk yogurt, fresh goat-cheese logs in flavors such as garlic-chive and black truffle, and cultured butter, including a truffle version.
- Edgwick Farm sells goat milk, goat cheese and what it calls goat-gurt.
- Pura Vida Fisheries brings fish from Hampton Bays, according to the market.
Bread and baking
- Joey's Market carries Bien Cuit and Hudson Bread along with market sandwiches.
- Meredith's Bread/Horn of Plenty sells pies, biscotti, cookies, muffins, rolls and breads.
Hot and prepared food fills in the rest of a cold morning. Homespun Chili, Lara's Kitchen with its Lebanese kabobs and falafel, steamed and frozen momos from Sikkim Hut The Taste of Himalaya, and Paolo's Kitchen's eggplant rollatini and lasagnas are all on the market's list. So are Nicola's Pasta Fresca and BeanLuv Coffee.
Vendor rosters shift from week to week, and the market itself says "things keep changing." The Thursday newsletter is the reliable guide to who will be there on a particular Sunday.
Pre-ordering for a shorter morning
A three-hour window means less time to browse, and one vendor offers a way around that. Baldwin Family Farm takes online orders with Ramsey Farmers' Market as a pickup location. Its process has three steps:
- Place the order in the online cart and choose Ramsey as the pickup point. No payment is collected online.
- The farm checks its stock and contacts you to confirm the final order, and you pay at pickup.
- The order is delivered to the market for you to collect.
The farm's product list includes dry-aged beef, lamb, certified Berkshire pork, chicken, eggs and turkey. It also carries Nicola Fresca pasta and Valley Shepherd Creamery dairy. With Thanksgiving on November 26 and the last pre-holiday market on November 22, the turkey listing is the one to look at early. Because the farm confirms each order against what it has, ordering sooner leaves more room if something sells out.
November 15 and a market that gives back
The market's special-events list puts the Second Chance Toy Collection on November 15, after the Apple Festival in September and the Ramsey Chamber of Commerce Day and Touch-a-Truck on October 25. For details on what to bring, check the market's newsletter or social pages before that Sunday.
The toy drive fits a longer pattern. The market lists annual donations to a long run of local groups, including the Center for Food Action, Meals on Wheels, the Ramsey Volunteer Fire Department, the Ramsey Library, Ramsey Rescue, Ramsey Ambulance, the NYNJ Trail Conference and Ramsey High School scholarships. It also lists composters and garden-bed funding for Ramsey High School and Tisdale School, and benches for Ramsey's 911 Memorial Park.
The Ramsey Historical Association started it in January 2010 together with the Borough of Ramsey. The Historical Association also maintains the Old Stone House as a museum. One of the market's stated goals is to build appreciation for Ramsey's history as a farming community, along with teaching the value of eating locally grown food.
Practical notes for a cold Sunday
- Dogs are welcome if they follow the rules. Walk your dog before you arrive, keep it on a very short leash, and keep it away from food vendors' tables. The market's hot-weather rule notes that an air temperature of 77 degrees can mean 125 degrees on a dog's paws. That one matters again next spring.
- Bring knives. Hudson Grinding Knife Sharpening is on the market's vendor list for sharpening and blade repairs. Check the newsletter to see whether it's coming on a given week.
- Composting is available through Source Compost, which the market lists for compost pickup and drop-off.
- WIC and Senior Certificate programs are accepted by some vendors. The market suggests asking at the main market booth.
- Getting there is simple. The address is the Ramsey Main Street Train Station at Erie Plaza, off Main Street, Ramsey, NJ 07446.
If anything about the station-side market has caught your interest, whether it's the history, the vendors or what a Sunday morning in Ramsey looks like across the seasons, Christine Frosini would be glad to talk it over. She knows these Bergen County towns as places people actually live, week to week. Contact Us.