Tag Archives: River Cottage Farm

Market Customers Taste Local Farm Meats

Warm sunshine with sizzling local farm meats on the grill – it was the perfect combo for the official last weekend of summer at the Franklin Farmers Market. Grill Day at the FFM this past Saturday was a delicious way to bid summer goodbye, with a variety of local meats to sample and enjoy from our local meat farmers. The expertise of Chef Michael Martin of Whole Foods made everything extra tasty. Our friends at the Hearth and Grill Shop provided the Big Green Egg and Fire Magic Gas Grill to grill the local farm meats to perfection.

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Friends from Whole Foods

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Over 50 pounds of grilled meats

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Chef Michael

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Friends from Hearth & Grill Shop

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Veggies on a Fire Magic grill

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Grill Day

Everyone loved the tasty samples of beef, lamb, chicken and sausage from Bear Creek Farm, Peaceful Pastures, West Wind Farm, Triple L Ranch, River Cottage Farm and Hatcher Dairy Farm. Again, it was the absolute perfect way to say goodbye to summer and hello to football tailgating season!

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Grilled to perfection by Chef Michael

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Grilled local beef on a Big Green Egg

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Summer veggies still in market

Fall officially starts on Tuesday and there’s been a lot of people asking when the FFM will shut down for the year. The answer is we don’t – the Franklin Farmers Market is a year-round market. Our local farmers keep growing and while the variety of farm grown vegetables changes with the season, you can still enjoy the best of fresh food from local farms all throughout the winter. Plus with the cooler weather of fall, comes a whole lot of fun events and activities. Find out what’s coming up at the Franklin Farmers Market by taking a look at our Events page.

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Colorful Peppers from Bloomsbury Farm

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Sweet Cherry Tomatoes

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Fresh Basil

All of the colorful veggies and smiling faces at the FFM each Saturday make for some great photos. You should see the ones taken during Grill Day! Visit the market’s photo gallery to see what and who we snapped photos of this past Saturday.

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Pumpkin Roll from Norton Family Farm

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Collard and Turnip Greens

Grass Fed Meats Enjoyed by Local Market Customers

The delicious smell of grass fed meats grilling on a Big Green Egg just can’t be beat. It makes your mouth water and the taste buds crave a bite of whatever cut of meat is on the grill. Just ask anyone who was at the market. The Hearth and Grill Shop and Chef Michael Martin of Whole Foods got together and grilled tender cuts of beef, pork, chicken, lamb and sausage.

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Hayes & Stephen from Hearth & Grill Shop answered questions about the Big Green Egg and other grills best for grilling

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Chef Michael Martin of Whole Foods grilled over 50 pounds of local farm beef, chicken, pork and sausages

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Many customers had never sampled the great flavor of local Tennessee farm meats

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Market customers kept Chef Michael busy all market day

All of the local farm meats were provided by our meat farmers and free samples were handed out to enjoy. It was irresistible. You could not walk past the Grill Day tent without grabbing one of the grass fed meat samples to munch. Just goes to show that grass fed meats straight from the farm is the best. Our thanks to West Wind Farms, Peaceful Pastures, Triple L Ranch, Bear Creek Farm, River Cottage Farm, Hatcher Family Dairy and Beaverdam Creek Farm for contributing the local farm meats for the market’s Grill Day.  Jones Mill Farm provided the fresh baked kaiser buns and sourdough rolls with Moonshadow Farm supplying the Kenny’s Cheddar Cheese.

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Great tasting local meats

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Grilled beef slider with chopped Jalapeño and Kenny’s Cheddar cheese

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A tasty pork loin cooked to perfection!

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Certified Organically grown produce from Delvin Farms

What is it about the perfect summer day that makes everyone smile?  There was a whole lot of smiling going on at the FFM. After a week of steady rain, the sun finally decided to shine bright and fresh summer veggies were all over the market. Tomatoes and squash, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, onions and a whole lot more could be found, as well as the first of the blueberries and blackberries of the season. As we’ve said before, some farmers have crops just a little earlier than normal because of hoop house and row covers protecting their plants from cold weather and pests. But to know when your favorites will be ripe and ready at the market, you need to have a good idea of when peak season for their harvest takes place. We were glad to see so many of you stopping at the info booth to pick up a copy of Local Table, with its’ big seasonality chart to reference on harvest times for veggies and fruits.

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Fresh Blueberries from Pilgrims Produce

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Just picked Blackberries from Beaverdam Creek Farm

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Fresh squash and other produce from Paradise Farm

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Cucumbers from Napier Farm

All in all, with happy noses and smiling faces, it was a very good day at the market!  Be sure to check out our market day photos to see what went on at the Franklin Tennessee farmers market this past Saturday.

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Great tasting organic tomatoes from Delvin Farms have arrived!

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Farm fresh local produce from Beaverdam Creek Farm

Taste Local Farm Meats this Saturday at our Day of the Grill Tasting Event

The tantalizing smell of local farm beef, chicken or pork chops sizzling on the grill of a Big Green Egg just can’t be beat. It’s all grilled to perfection, tender and juicy on the inside with a delicious farm meat flavor.

Ribeyes on Big Green Egg

Two Ribeye’s Grilling on the Big Green Egg

Big Green Egg Chicken

Free Range Chickens are great for Smoking on a Big Green Egg

And when you use top-rated meats from local farms, it becomes the ultimate mouthwatering experience.

local farm beef ribeye

Local farm Beef Ribeye from the Franklin Farmers Market

Local Farm Grilled Steaks

Local Farm Grilled Steak from the Franklin Farmers Market

Find out for yourself this Saturday at the Franklin Farmers Market. It’s the Day of the Grill and it’s your chance to sample local farm meats from West Wind Farms, Peaceful Pastures, Bear Creek Farm, Triple L Ranch, River Cottage Farm and Beaverdam Creek Farm.

Bear Creek Pigs

Bear Creek Pigs

Local Farm Beef

Local Farm Beef

Local Free Range Chicken

Local Free Range Chicken

Triple L Beef

Triple L Ranch Cattle

Chef Jeff Lunsford

Chef Jeff Lunsford of the Hearth and Grill Shop

Master griller Chef Jeff Lunsford from The Hearth and Grill Shop will use his talents to give you free samples of appetizing local farm meats.  “The Franklin Farmers Market supplies top quality meats that are produced from livestock -raised locally under the watchful eye of farmers that care about their animals, their product and the people they sell it to,” said Chef Jeff. This Saturday, enjoy cuts of steak, chicken, pork and lamb. Or take a bite of a “slider” – local ground beef, mixed with chopped jalapeños and grated cheese from Kenny’s Farmhouse Aged Cheddar provided by Moonshadow Farm. It’s served on one of Jones Mill Farm’s famous sourdough rolls.

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Jones Mill Farm Sourdough Rolls

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Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheddar from Moonshadow Farm

Everything will be grilled to perfection on a Big Green Egg Smoker & Grill from The Hearth and Grill Shop. “As a chef, I insist on the highest quality equipment and the very best local products,” said Chef Jeff. “The Big Green Egg provides me with the best Ceramic – Charcoal grill and smoker rolled into one fabulous grill.”

Vacuum sealed beef

Vacuum sealed Ribeye’s

Local Farm Beef Ribeyes

Local Farm Beef Ribeye’s

Look for The Hearth and Grill tent at the front of the market this Saturday and treat yourself to free samples of delicious grilled meats from our local meat farmers.  Meat lovers, rejoice! It’s the Day of the Grill at the Franklin Farmers Market!

Free Range Chicken

Local Free Range Chicken ready for the Big Green Egg Smoker

New Fall Events Coming to Farmers Market

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Norton Family Farm Fresh Carrots

Fall is definitely in the air. At the market this past Saturday, it was a bit cool with a light breeze, making it the perfect morning to stroll around with a warm doughnut and a cup of hot coffee from Ellie’s Doughnuts.

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Flying S Farm White Chocolate Friendship Bread

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Pumplin Rolls sell out fast from Norton Family Farm

Other signs of fall at the market too, like the first appearance of winter squash, more root veggies, apple cider…

…and lots of pumpkins.

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A Pumpkin Helper

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Cinderella Pumpkins

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King Farm Pumpkins Invade the FFM

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Small Pumpkins for young visitors

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King Farm Flat Bed Trailer Filled with Pumpkins of all colors and sizes

But the thing that tells us that fall is really here is the big question we’re asked every year – When do you close down for winter? The answer is, we don’t. The Franklin Farmers Market goes on year-round. Surprised? You’re not alone. A lot of folks wonder how a farmers market that’s dedicated to food from local farms can be open during the winter. In Tennessee, our winters are a bit milder and that allows farmers to extend their warm weather crops a little longer.

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Beautiful Tomatoes still in good supply

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Beaverdam Creek Farm Fall Eggplant

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Trish holding a CSA from Beaverdam Creek Farm

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Bloomsbury Farm Wheat Grass and Beets

And a number of farmers now use “tunnels” which consists of metal frames with plastic stretch over them. The plants are in the garden patch like they normally would be but the protection of the tunnel keeps frost from killing the plants. And finally, there are quite a few vegetables that prefer to grow in cool weather, like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage or carrots and potatoes.  The winter season for the Franklin Farmers Market begins in November.

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Fall Mums and Custom Baskets from Bloomin’ Baskets

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Fresh Jams and Preserves from Jones Mill Farms

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Brenda of Moonshadow Farm hosting Kenny of Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese

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Pilgrims Produce with their fall produce selection

Meat lovers, rejoice! Next Saturday, October 5th is the Day of the Grill at the market with samples of tender beef, pork, chicken and lamb from our Tennessee meat farms at the market. Enjoy tasty bites of meat from Triple L Ranch, Bear Creek Farm, West Wind Farm, Peaceful Pastures, River Cottage Farm and Beaverdam Creek Farm.  Chef Jeff Lunsford will use his talents on the grill to prepare the delicious samples.  Chef Jeff is a grill expert extraordinaire from The Hearth and Grill Shop. The Hearth and Grill Shop is locally owned and has been Middle Tennessee’s favorite spot for top-notch grills for over 40 years. This is your chance to enjoy mouthwatering samples of meat grilled to perfection on a Big Green Egg Smoker & Grill, which considered by many to be the best grill ever made. Don’t miss it… next Saturday, the Day of the Grill at the Franklin Farmers Market!

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Persimmons bring a smile to Lauren of Bloomsbury Farm

Giant smiling pumpkins and tiny little scarecrows were spotted at the market this past Saturday and they were all pointing to one thing… The Invasion of the Scarecrows is coming soon with lots of fun for the family. How about a kids pumpkin patch, funny face painting and a pumpkin decoration booth? And the best part is it’s free. It’s happening on October 19th  – The Invasion of the Scarecrows at the Franklin Farmers Market.  Presented by our good friends at Williamson Medical Center.

Visit our Photo Gallery to view pictures from this past Saturday’s Market and all Saturday Markets since May of this year.

Large Crop of Tennessee Melons Now at the Franklin Farmers Market

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Farm Fresh Cumbers and Tomatoes from See Sun Vu Farm

It’s been a strange summer. Here we are in August, which is typically a dry and very hot month. But we’ve had plenty of rain and lows in the 50’s. Weird weather indeed, but on the flip side, it’s been good for the veggies. Right now, the Franklin Farmers Market is loaded with lots of great vegetables. You should have seen the pile of peppers at the Gardner’s Grove booth!

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Multi-Colored Peppers from Gardener Grove Farm

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Over 30 different varieties of Tomatoes

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Beautiful Egg Plant  coming in for 2013 from See Sun Vu Farm

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A Great Summer for Cantaloupe from Kirkview Farm

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This Mom teaching her son about  Delvin Farms CSA fresh veggies

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This year Watermelons are HUGE from Tim of Colbert Farm

And tomatoes were everywhere. Mr. Cecil’s tomatoes were hot items this past Saturday, along with green beans from the Colbert Farm and corn from the King Family Farm. Chicken for the grill was the big thing from River Cottage Farm. The Delvin Farm had cantaloupes that were huge (and sweet!) and of course, several of the farms had delicious watermelons.

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So Very Fresh Green Beans from Kirkview Farm

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Beautiful Potatoes and Melons from Colbert Farm

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Fried Green Tomatoes anyone from Bloomsbury Farm

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Beautiful Apples from Kirkview Farm

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Wonderful Plums and Peaches from Kirkview Farm

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Watermelon Festival is Next Weekend!

Speaking of watermelons, the market’s big Watermelon Festival is coming up this Saturday (August 24th) and it’s a big juicy day of fun for everyone. Besides delicious slices of watermelon to munch on, there are games and face painting for the kids, weird watermelon carvings and the two contests you don’t want to miss – the watermelon seed spitting challenge and the fastest watermelon eating competition.

The excitement is building, as you can see in this short youtube video from one of the potential competitors in the watermelon eating contest:

The seed spitting contest takes place at 10am, while the watermelon eating contest is at 11:30. If you’re up to the challenge, come by the market’s info booth Saturday morning to register. Don’t miss the Franklin Farmers Market Watermelon Festival, presented by the Williamson Herald and Southern Exposure Magazine!

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Fresh Goat Cheese to Sample from Noble Springs Dairy Farm

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Lots of Tomatoes from Rocky Glade Farm

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Golden Melons from Beaverdam Creek Farm

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Truck loads of Sweet Corn selling out fast from the King Family Farm

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Fresh made mini Quiche from Jones Mill Farm