Tag Archives: FFM

Summer Farmers Market loaded with Fresh Vegetables

Every day at the farmers market is a good day, but at this time of the year, it’s even better with summer fresh vegetables from local Tennessee farmers. You can practically bet that every time the FFM is open, you’re going to find something new to eat. For example, the first blueberries of the season were at the market this past Saturday. And so were the first tomatoes. People were lining up, anxious to get a bite of real tomatoes and other fresh vegetables.

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Blueberries from Pilgrims Produce

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Organic tomatoes from Delvin Farms

Broccoli, squash, radishes, potatoes, lettuce, and herbs – it was all at the market. The warm Tennessee weather is really making the gardens grow providing some of the best fresh vegetables in recent years.

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Organic grown Broccoli from Delvin Farms

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Farm fresh zucchini from Kirkview Farm

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Multi colored carrots and radishes from Bloomsbury Farm

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Potatoes, peas and tomatoes from Pilgrims Produce

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Fresh picked herbs from Bloomsbury Farm

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Green beans right from the farm from Napier Farm

grill day slider2And a lot of you were getting ready for a big backyard grill out too, with tender cuts of meat from our farmers. If you have not tasted the beef, chicken, pork and lamb the FFM farmers have, you don’t know what you’re missing. Next Saturday, you’ll get your chance to find out what we’re talking about. On June 14th, the Hearth and Grill Shop and Chef Michael Martin of Whole Foods will come together for Grill Day at the Franklin Farmers Market. This is your chance to taste the best meat you’ll ever find and it’s all from the local meat farmers at the FFM. Big Green Egg Grills, the choice of grill masters everywhere will be used for the beef, pork, chicken, lamb and sausage seasoned and seared to perfection by Chef Michael.

Once you’ve tasted what our local farms have, you’ll know why meat from the FFM is so popular.  You can view market pictures here.

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So we’ll say it again – this is the time of the year when there’s something delicious and new to eat every week at the market… Wonder what you’ll find next Saturday?

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Sweet farm carrots are a healthy snack at the FFM

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Beautiful yellow squash from Kirkview Farm

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Farm Fresh Eggs from Moon Shadow Farm

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Beautiful Sun Flowers grace market Saturday

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Fresh veggies from Beaverdam Creek Farm

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Cucumbers and Green onions from Napier Farm

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Nineteenth-Century French heirloom carrots from Bloomsbury farm are a favorite of gourmet chefs

Farm Hoop Houses providing early Local Farm Produce

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Rocky Glade farm grown strawberries

We saw them too – red, plump and juicy and flying out of the market as fast as cars zooming around a racetrack. The very first local farm strawberries of the spring were at the FFM this past Saturday and some of you could not wait to get your hands on them.  We can’t really blame you. Those beautiful strawberries were grown on Rocky Glade Farm and are a couple of weeks earlier than expected. But remember how we told you that farmers are pretty resourceful, using hoop houses and row covers to protect their crops from bad weather? That’s exactly what they did on Rocky Glade Farm. The Vaughn family raises a lot of good vegetables in the fields. But they also have two large hoop houses, which help to protect early spring crops from those last-minute blasts from winter. It all adds up to delivering delicious local farm produce like those early strawberries. We’re betting you’ll see more of them next Saturday.

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Pilgrims Produce  radishes

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Sweet green onions from Pilgrims Produce

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Beaverdam Creek fresh lettuces and radishes

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Farm fresh spinach, carrots, lettuces and radishes from Paradise Produce

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Just picked romain lettuce from Norton Family Farm

It was one of those everything old is new again days at the FFM this past Saturday. Think about it for a minute. Sometimes it seems like winter drags on forever, with no bright flowers to see and no warm weather fresh veggies to enjoy. So when all the local farm produce of spring finally show back up again, it’s like we’re seeing them for the first time. That’s what it was like at the farmers market. There were new spring veggies to enjoy, like fresh green onions for the perfect salad.

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Lettuces from Pilgrims Produce

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Green Onions from Kirkview Farm

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Celery from Rocky Glade

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Delvin Farms fresh lettuces

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Carrots from Norton Family Farm

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Fresh lettuce mix from Norton Family Farm

Early starter plants, such as squash, tomatoes and cucumbers were going home to be planted by backyard gardeners.

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Vegetable Starter Plants from Paradise Produce

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Blackberry plants from Delvin Farm

Plus all the flowers… beautiful, bright flowers were found all over the market. Spring makes everything new again.

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Beautiful Flowers from Blooming Baskets

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FFM customers heading home with new starter plants for their garden

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Volunteer Day April 26th

Have you ever wondered how the FFM comes together every Saturday, year-round? Sometimes to us, it seems like magic. But it is really the work of our volunteers who play an important role in making the Franklin Farmers Market the best market in Tennessee for local farm produce. We’re always looking for great volunteers.

Next Saturday is FFM’s Volunteer Day. It’s your chance to join the market team and help out in a variety of different ways. If you believe in local food, sustainability and the goodness of Tennessee farms, we’d love for you to be part of our team.

Look for the special farmers market Volunteer booth next Saturday at the front of the market and join the FFM team!

 

Warm Sunshine Delivers Smiles and Fresh Farm Food

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Charlie Hatcher of Hatcher Family Dairy helping a young Mom with some milk to her vehicle

It all adds up – sunshine plus good fresh farm food equals happy people. For proof of that theory, all you needed to do was come to the farmers market this past Saturday.  Everyone was in a good mood. There were plenty of yummy fresh veggies, such as beets and squash. Maple syrup was another favorite and everyone was looking for those blue eggs.  And there were big smiles all over the place. Of course, eating sweet doughnuts or munching on muffins while roaming the market played a role in keeping those smiles coming, but we think the bright sunshine and warm temperatures were a big part of it too.

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Fresh made muffins from Lucy’s kitchen

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Fresh winter squash from Kirkview Farm

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Tennessee Maple Syrup from Pilgrims produce

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Fresh made crepes from Crepe A Diem

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The Lee clan from Triple L Ranch was out in full force on Saturday

Bear Creek Beef

LeeAnn of Bear Creek helping some customers with their Tennessee Beef selection

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Beaverdam Creek Farm CSA program is in full swing!

During the day, someone asked us about three little letters that are popping up now in the farm booths all over the market. Those three letters are C-S-A, which is the nickname for community supported agriculture. A CSA gives you a weekly share of whatever the farm has harvested all through the growing season and now is the time to sign up for a CSA. Many of the farmers at the market, such as Delvin Farms, Beaverdam Creek Farm and West Wind Farms have CSA programs. Next time you’re at the market, ask your favorite farmer if a CSA is available to get the best in fresh food straight from their farm every week.

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A young market customer taking a picture of a custom home from Miniatures by Phillip

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Peaceful Pastures farm made soaps

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Farm Fresh Goat Cheese from Noble Springs Dairy

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Taking home some barn wood signs from Tom the Furniture Guy

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Our new Corporate Sponsor for 2014, owner Greg Brown of Ford Lincoln of Franklin with LIsa, Deb and Hank Sr of Delvin Farms

And finally, we welcomed a new member to the market family last Saturday. We’re happy to announce that Ford Lincoln of Franklin is a sponsor of the Franklin Farmers Market. The market is a 501 c 5 non-profit agricultural organization and with sponsors such as Ford Lincoln of Franklin, we are able to help local farms to keep growing. Our thanks to Ford Lincoln of Franklin for their support – Welcome to the FFM family!

You can visit pictures from Saturday’s market by clicking here.

Baby Calf has a Name and Farmers bring Farm Fresh Produce to Market

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It was another cold day at the FFM

Mother Nature has been a bit grumpy and unpredictable this winter. The chilly wind blowing through the Franklin Farmers Market this past Saturday was proof of that. It’s the sort of weather that calls for a good dose of comfort food and that’s what everyone was getting at the market. Instant warm-ups, like those hot doughnuts from Ellie’s Old Fashion Doughnuts or Jones Mill Farm’s sourdough rolls with Triple L Sausage definitely qualified as comfort food. So did the hot chocolate from Ridiculous Chocolate and warm freshly prepared cornbread, made with Beaverdam Creek Farm’s special mill stone ground cornmeal.

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Warm doughnuts and hot coffee from Ellie’s

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Stone Ground Cornmeal and Grits from Beaverdam Creek Farm

Veggies, like potatoes and cabbage to make homemade soups. Great meats, like a chuck roast for a warm delicious meal.

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Organic Cabbage from Delvin Farms

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Delvin Farms Organic Potatoes

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Tender tasty fresh beef from Bear Creek Farm

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Homemade soups from Lucy’s Kitchen

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Kenny’s Cheeses from Moonshadow Farm

And the vivid orange carrots and green Brussels sprouts offered a little tease of spring with their bright colors.

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Garlic, Turnips and Tomato Sauce from Delvin Farms

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Winter Squash from Delvin Farms

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Delvin Farms Brussels Sprouts

Here’s a question for you: You don’t see any flowers growing or green leaves on trees, so how do vegetables grow during the winter? We overheard that very question being asked at the market this past Saturday. Are those veggies grown somewhere else in warmer weather and then shipped in to Tennessee? The answer to that question is no. Some vegetables, such as cabbage grow much better in cooler weather. But when the weather gets a little cold, row covers and hoop houses go over the top of the plants to protect them. The coverings help the plants to get a little more warmth from the sun and protection from frost too. So what you see in the FFM during the winter really is grown on a local farm.

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Call me Buttermilk!

And finally, the voting is over and the little calf at Triple L Ranch is no longer without a name. Say hello to Buttermilk. The top seven names in the Name the Calf contest were Ollie, Jasper, Ace, Leo, Oliver, Bartholomew and Buttermilk. Who submitted the winning name? It was actually Ann Lee of Triple L Ranch. Ann put the name Buttermilk in the poll as a little joke, because the calf is neither a heifer nor a dairy cow. But that kind of backfired, because Buttermilk was voted as the favorite name for calf.  The runner-up in the contest was the name Bartholomew, which was submitted by Savana Stroud. So the Lee family has awarded the prize of a day at the Triple L Ranch to Savana. Our thanks to everyone who voted in the Name the Calf contest!

The Franklin Farmers Market is community driven Saturday morning farmers market bringing together the best local farmers in the state of Tennessee.  Visit our photo gallery and farmer profiles to learn more about Tennessee farm fresh produce and meats.

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Fresh lettuces from Paradise Produce

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Farm fresh eggs from River Cottage

 

Fall Vegetables Now in Full Supply for Winter Farmers Market

What a beautiful fall day at the market! Last Saturday was perfect for strolling around and picking up tasty fresh cool weather veggies at the market.  A lot of delicious sweet potatoes, greens and root vegetables, like beets, turnips and carrots could be found.

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Sweet Potatoes from Rocky Glade Farm

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Radishes, Turnips and Greens from Pilgrims Produce

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Organic Celery, Tatsoi and Collards from Delvin Farms

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Fresh Farm Green Onions from Pilgrims Produce

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Fresh Lettuces from Zadok the Natural Farmer

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Red and Yellow Baby Carrots from  Zadok the Natural Farmer

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Farm Fresh Beets from Paradise Produce

And the fresh baked goods were lip-smacking good. Holiday sweets are sneaking into the market too.  Rumor has it that Noble Springs Dairy has created goat cheese fudge that is a fantastic experience for your taste buds.

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Fresh baked Sweets and Bread from Flying J Farm

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Farm Preserves from Jones Mill Farm

It was a good day  for socializing too, with friends and farmers. A lot of folks made a point to welcome Paradise Produce back to the market.  Stacy Gentry got married and took a year off to settle into married life. He and his lovely wife Sonia were at the Paradise Produce booth with beautiful vegetables. It was her first time working at the market with her new husband and it paid off…. They sold out of everything!   You can visit all photos from Saturday here.

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Deb, LeeAnn and Ben enjoying some market community time

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Sonia and Stacy Gentry of Paradise Produce happy to be back at the Franklin Farmers Market

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A beautiful fall day was enjoyed by many

We asked a question before Saturday about whether dogs should be allowed at the Franklin Farmers Market or if they should be banned. And a lot of you had something to say about it while at the market. In fact, we ran out of the survey forms about dog issue at the FFM info booth. Some of you were quick to say that dogs were a big reason why you like to come to the market, while others told us the dogs shouldn’t be allowed because the large number of canines and big market crowds just didn’t mix too well. This past Saturday, quite a few dogs came with their owners to the market. And while most were well-behaved, there were still a few that relieved themselves inside the market shed or growled at other dogs that were there. We really love dogs. But concerns over safety and sanitary issues keep growing, so we’re asking for your help in deciding whether dogs should stay or go. Tell us what you think. You can take part in our survey about the dogs by either stopping at the market info booth on Saturdays or emailing your thoughts to lisa@franklinfarmersmarket.com . We’ll be conducting the survey through November 23rd.

There were two other big questions at the market this past Saturday that people kept asking. The first one was “when does the market close down for the year?” It doesn’t. The market goes year-round, so the farmers will be here with fresh winter produce all through the winter season.

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Beautiful Organic Tomatoes from Delvin Farms

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Fresh Apples from Kirkview Farm

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Freshly picked cabbage and radishes from Kirkview Farm

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Fresh Spinach, Garlic and Lettuces from Rocky Glad Farm

The other question was “what time does the winter farmers market open and close?” Normally, the winter market begins at 9am. But we want to give you more time to shop the market, especially for holiday food and gifts. So November through December, the market is open every Saturday from 8am – noon. In January, the winter market hours will change to 9am-noon.

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Beautiful hand carved woods from Mark Alan Artisan Woods

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Custom made signs made from old barn wood from Tom the Furniture Guy

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Hank Delvin, Sr of Delvin Farms helping customers on a beautiful fall day at the Franklin Farmers Market