The Champlain Valley has been growing food for a very long time. The same rich agricultural strip between the Adirondacks and the lake that fed the region through the 18th and 19th centuries still produces remarkable summer food — stone fruits, sweet corn, heirloom vegetables, maple syrup that was boiling in February, grassfed dairy that has no equivalent in a grocery store. Knowing where to find it makes a summer camping trip near Lake Champlain into something more than just an outdoor experience.
The Peru Farmers Market: Right Here at Home
The most locally convenient option is the Peru Farmers Market itself — held at Heyworth Mason Park in the village of Peru. For 2026, the market operates on a monthly Sunday schedule: June 28, July 26, August 30, September 20, and October 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The once-monthly format means planning around the date rather than relying on a weekly Saturday routine, but the market’s proximity — Peru is the town where Lake Champlain RV Park is located — makes it the most effortless access point for campers who want local produce without driving anywhere.
The July 26 and August 30 dates are the summer peak market days, when the season’s produce is at its fullest — corn, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, summer squash, local honey, and whatever the berry season has produced in the weeks before. Adirondack Harvest, the organization promoting local agriculture across the region, is the coordinating body behind the market’s development.
Plattsburgh Farmers and Crafters Market: The Weekly Anchor
For a weekly farmers market that runs through the full summer, the Plattsburgh Farmers and Crafters Market at 26 Green Street in Plattsburgh is the primary option within easy driving distance of Peru — approximately 10 miles north on US-9. The 2026 market runs Saturdays from May 9 through October 10, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The setting is specifically worth noting: 26 Green Street sits near the Plattsburgh riverwalk and the Plattsburgh Boat Basin, with views of the Saranac River, Cumberland Bay, Plattsburgh Bay, and Lake Champlain. It’s a genuinely pleasant place to spend a Saturday morning regardless of what you’re buying. The market carries locally grown produce, meats, baked goods, plants, wine and spirits, honey, jam, and maple syrup alongside the crafters’ section of handmade goods. Live music is a regular feature. The market also has electric car chargers on-site and ample parking — practical details that make a recurring Saturday visit straightforward.
“The Plattsburgh market on a Saturday morning in mid-July is one of those market experiences where you arrive with a short list and leave having talked to four farmers about things you didn’t know you needed to know about the season. That’s the Champlain Valley food community doing what it does.”
Champlain Farmers Market: The Saturday Alternative
About 20 miles north of Peru in the village of Champlain, the Champlain Farmers Market at Paquette Park (1154 US-9) runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon, July 11 through September 13. The Champlain market is smaller and more intimate than the Plattsburgh market — less traffic, more conversation with the vendors, the quieter village character of Champlain rather than the city scale of Plattsburgh. For a casual Saturday morning market visit that doesn’t involve much driving or parking navigation, this is the one.
Champlain sits 15 miles south of the Canadian border — the market has a specifically North Country character that reflects both the Upstate New York agricultural identity and the Quebec-adjacent border region flavor that gives this corner of New York a food culture distinctly its own.
Willsboro Farmers Market: The Thursday Option
For campers who are midweek and looking for a market day that isn’t Saturday, the Willsboro Farmers Market at Gateway Park on Route 22 runs Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 11 through September 3. Willsboro is approximately 25 miles south of Peru on Route 22 — a drive that runs through the Essex County agricultural corridor along the Champlain shoreline, with farm views and the lake visible in places along the route.
Willsboro is a small town with a significant agricultural history — the Willsboro Farm, founded in the 19th century, is one of the area’s historically significant agricultural operations. The Thursday market reflects a community that takes local food seriously. The drive south through Essex County to get there is reason enough to go — it’s one of the more scenic rural drives in the immediate Lake Champlain region.
Crown Point Market & Music: The Evening Experience
About 45 miles south of Peru, Crown Point runs a Thursday evening market series at Veterans Memorial Park — the Crown Point Market & Music, running Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m., July 16 through August 27. The evening format and the live music component make this less of a “shop for provisions” experience and more of a community gathering that happens to have food. The Crown Point setting — the historic fortress on the Lake Champlain narrows, with Vermont’s Green Mountains visible across the water — gives the evening a backdrop that the midday markets don’t have. Fort Ticonderoga is just a few miles south, making a combined Crown Point market evening and Ticonderoga visit the next morning a natural two-stop itinerary.
North Country Creamery: A Specific Stop Worth Making
About 20 miles south of Plattsburgh in Keeseville — and therefore about 30 miles from Peru — North Country Creamery is one of the most distinctive dairy operations in the Lake Champlain region. A 100% grassfed, Non-GMO, Animal Welfare Approved dairy, North Country Creamery produces milk and dairy products from a herd managed on rotational pasture. The dairy is 20 minutes south of Plattsburgh, accessible via US-9 or I-87.
Grassfed dairy in July — when the cows have been on summer pasture for months and the beta-carotene from the grass is visible in the deep yellow color of the butter and cream — is a measurably different product from grain-fed dairy. The milk from a grassfed July herd has higher conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acid content than winter or grain-fed milk, and the flavor is distinct in a way that’s immediately apparent. Stopping at North Country Creamery for milk, butter, or whatever fresh products are available is the kind of local food stop that gives a summer camping trip its most specifically memorable food moments.
What’s in Season Near Peru in July and August
The Champlain Valley summer season in July and August produces a specific range of crops that the market visitors who know what to look for specifically plan around. Sweet corn from the valley farms typically arrives in late July and peaks through August — the Upstate New York sweet corn harvest, at its peak, is one of the summer’s legitimate regional food events. Stone fruits — peaches, plums, and nectarines from the orchard farms on the warmer south-facing slopes of the valley — peak in late July and August. Heirloom tomatoes at the Saturday markets in late July are worth specifically asking vendors about — the best tomatoes from small farm operations don’t always make the display table, they’re behind the counter for the people who ask.
Essex Farm, in Crown Point, is one of the region’s most established year-round farming operations — their farm store is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week and is stocked with seasonal vegetables, milk, eggs, chicken, grains, and maple syrup. For campers who want a single-source fresh farm stop rather than navigating a full market day, the Essex Farm store is worth the drive south.
Peru Farmers Market: Heyworth Mason Park, Peru. Sundays 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Monthly: July 26, August 30. Closest to Lake Champlain RV Park.
Plattsburgh Farmers and Crafters Market: 26 Green Street, Plattsburgh (~10 mi north). Saturdays 9 a.m.–2 p.m., May 9–October 10. Live music, lake views, ample parking.
Champlain Farmers Market: Paquette Park, 1154 US-9, Champlain (~20 mi north). Saturdays 9 a.m.–noon, July 11–September 13. Smaller, intimate, quieter.
Willsboro Farmers Market: Gateway Park, Route 22, Willsboro (~25 mi south). Thursdays 9 a.m.–1 p.m., June 11–September 3. Best midweek option.
Crown Point Market & Music: Veterans Memorial Park, Crown Point (~45 mi south). Thursdays 6–9 p.m., July 16–August 27. Evening market with live music.
North Country Creamery: Keeseville (~30 mi from Peru via US-9). 100% grassfed dairy. Not a market — a farm-direct stop.
Essex Farm store: Crown Point. Open daily 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Vegetables, dairy, eggs, meat, maple syrup, grains.
For visitors planning a Lake Champlain summer stay that includes farmers market mornings and local food exploration, the RV park near Peru, NY gives the full location and access context for planning a stay that uses the surrounding Champlain Valley agricultural community. The Upstate New York exploration guide at Lake Champlain RV Park covers the broader regional picture — farmers markets alongside hiking, swimming, and the wider summer activity calendar that makes the Lake Champlain region one of the Northeast’s most complete summer destinations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a farmers market in Peru, NY?
Yes. The Peru Farmers Market is held at Heyworth Mason Park in Peru, NY on a monthly Sunday schedule. For 2026, the market dates are June 28, July 26, August 30, September 20, and October 18, running 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each date. This is the closest farmers market to Lake Champlain RV Park and requires no driving for guests staying in Peru. For a weekly Saturday market with more vendor variety and consistent schedule, the Plattsburgh Farmers and Crafters Market at 26 Green Street in Plattsburgh (about 10 miles north) runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 9 through October 10.
When is the Plattsburgh Farmers Market open in summer 2026?
The Plattsburgh Farmers and Crafters Market at 26 Green Street, Plattsburgh runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 9 through October 10, 2026. The market is near the Plattsburgh riverwalk and Plattsburgh Boat Basin, with views of the Saranac River, Cumberland Bay, and Lake Champlain. The market carries produce, meats, baked goods, wine and spirits, honey, jam, maple syrup, and handmade crafts, with weekly live music. Parking is ample and the market has electric car chargers on-site. The market’s website at plattsburghfarmerscraftersmarket.com has the current vendor list and any schedule updates.
What local farm products are available near Lake Champlain in July?
The Champlain Valley’s summer farm production in July includes: sweet corn (arriving late July, peaking through August), summer squash and zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, heirloom tomatoes (ask vendors specifically — the best often aren’t front-displayed), local honey from Adirondack apiaries, fresh-baked bread, grassfed dairy from farms like North Country Creamery in Keeseville, maple syrup produced the previous February and March, eggs from pasture-raised flocks, and locally raised beef and chicken from the valley’s diversified livestock operations. Stone fruits — peaches, plums, and nectarines — peak in late July and August from the orchard farms on south-facing valley slopes. The market season from late July through August represents the Champlain Valley produce at its fullest annual expression.
Is there a farmers market near Lake Champlain that runs on weekdays?
Yes. The Willsboro Farmers Market at Gateway Park on Route 22 in Willsboro runs Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 11 through September 3. Willsboro is approximately 25 miles south of Peru via Route 22 — a scenic drive through the Essex County agricultural corridor along the Champlain shoreline. The Crown Point Market & Music at Veterans Memorial Park in Crown Point also runs Thursdays, but in the evening: 6 to 9 p.m., July 16 through August 27. The Crown Point Thursday evening market has live music and a community-gathering character that distinguishes it from the morning markets.
What is North Country Creamery and where is it?
North Country Creamery is a 100% grassfed, Non-GMO, and Animal Welfare Approved dairy operation in Keeseville, NY — approximately 20 minutes south of Plattsburgh and about 30 miles from Peru via US-9 or I-87. The creamery produces milk and dairy products from a herd managed on rotational pasture. Grassfed July dairy — when the cows have been on summer pasture for months — is measurably different from grain-fed dairy in flavor, color (the deep yellow of the butter reflects beta-carotene from the grass), and nutritional profile (higher CLA and omega-3 content). It’s a specific local food stop that doesn’t have a grocery store equivalent. Confirm current availability and farm store hours directly with North Country Creamery before visiting.
What other local food options are near Lake Champlain RV Park in summer?
Beyond the farmers markets, the Lake Champlain region has several farm-direct sources and local food options worth knowing: Essex Farm in Crown Point has a farm store open daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., stocked with seasonal vegetables, dairy, eggs, chicken, grains, and maple syrup. The Champlain Valley’s maple syrup producers — whose primary season is February and March but whose product is available year-round — are among the region’s most consistent local food identity items. The Adirondack Harvest organization (adirondackharvest.com) maintains a current directory of farm stands, CSA farms, and local food sources throughout the region, organized by location — the most useful single resource for finding a specific product or a farm near a specific destination in Clinton or Essex County.
