Local food blogger Amanda buying fresh baked food from Jones Mill Farm

Over 200 customers traveled ice covered roads to visit nine Farmers and Bakers for fresh local food. So many of our farmers and bakers could not get to market because of dangerous ice covered, and tree blocked roads. Our market farmers provided kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, butternut squash, apples, milk, eggs, beef, chicken, pork, lamb and honey. Our market bakers provided freshly baked breads, sweets, soups, jams, jellies and so much more. We have food serious customers who depend on our farmers for fresh food every Saturday. We are blessed to have the best assembly of local farmers in the state of Tennessee at the Franklin Farmers Market!

Ice covered roads all over Tennessee

So many farmers tried to make it to market like Ralph of West Wind Farms, who could not get past downed trees blocking roads in and around Deer Lodge in East Tennessee. Brenda of Moonshadow Farm could only get a half mile from her farm before having to hit reverse and back all the way back to her farm. Carol and Daniel of Triple L Ranch could not get their delivery van up the hill from their barn in Franklin. So many stories of failed trips by our farmers trying to make market. We are blessed of no reports of accidents trying to get to market.

Eating Ellie’s Old Fashioned Doughnuts is a market tradition!

The main comments from our customers were “Happy to get out of our house after being trapped all week”. On such a cold, windy, icy, rainy day there were smiles from everyone. Danny of Ellie’s Old-Fashioned Doughnuts counted over 110 customers buying his tasty doughnuts. What a following of adults and children who must have some warm fresh made doughnuts each Saturday morning. Large quantities of the basics of milk, eggs and meats purchased at market today. Our nine farmers and bakers who made market today were able to supply large quantities of fresh food for local families.

Thank you to all our customers who depend on our market being open every Saturday of the year. We are blessed to live in Tennessee where so many local farmers provide the best local produce in our state. A big thanks to BB’s Gourmet Pretzel’s, Ellie’s Old-Fashioned Doughnuts, Flying S Farms, Hatcher Family Dairy, Johnson’s Honey Farm, Jones Mill Farm, Kirkview Farm, Pilgrims Produce and River Cottage Farm for braving treacherous ice covered roads to provide what our customers have grown to expect, Farm Fresh Food!

 Visit our photo gallery to view pictures from todays farmers market.

Our grateful farmers and bakers who braved bad icy roads to be at market for our market customers

Ice covered Apple trees at Delvin Farms

Hoping for the ice, not to melt, is new for local farmers. Those are the recurring comments we keep hearing from local farmers. Hank Delvin, Sr of Delvin Farms is serious as he inspects his organic blackberry plants and apple orchard. “We need for the ice not to melt before the predicted three below zero deep freeze hits Thursday morning.” Sub-zero weather is a new event for everyone in Middle Tennessee. Delvin Farms provides certified organic produce for thousands of local families. Protecting outdoor vegetation and animals is on everyone’s mind as Thursday morning subzero temperatures fast approach.

Charlie Hatcher and son Charles break ice so his Dairy Cows can drink water

Charlie Hatcher of Hatcher Family Dairy spent much of the morning with son Charles breaking the ice frozen over a small pond his dairy cows use for drinking water. “We have to break the ice so our cows can have water to drink”. So goes the farm chores this week at Hatcher Family Dairy. Milking cows is an everyday process all year long; the cows don’t stop producing and the daily milking can’t stop. Cows don’t ever go on vacation, and local milk delivery for Tennessee families must stay on schedule, especially with the demand strong when snow and ice hit our state.

Farmers travel from all over Tennessee to the Franklin Farmers Market each Saturday for market. Ralph Cole of West Wind Farms has been driving over 130 miles each Saturday from Deer Lodge Tennessee to the Franklin Farmers Market for his customers. As the ice storm was covering roads in Tennessee Ralph was driving to pick up processed meats for his customers to have this coming Saturday.

Pigs from West Wind Farms

Ralph and wife Kimberly have been keeping a close eye on farm animals making sure they are getting the food and water they need. West Wind Farms was one of the first meat and poultry farms in the U.S. to be certified organic. Hundreds of Tennessee families depend on West Wind Farms to be at the Franklin Farmers Market to buy meats and eggs each market Saturday.

New vegetable seedlings are protected in Kirkview Farm Greenhouses.

Greenhouses are keeping tender vegetation from freezing at Kirkview Farm. It might be February, but Carl Thoni is watching his new plant growth springing up on his farm. Planting seeds early is key for supplying early vegetables for the long lines at Carl and Teresa Thoni’s market booth. Investing in well-built greenhouses has paid off for Carl during all the snow and ice we’ve had this week. All his new plant seedlings are happily growing in the midst what might be the coldest Tennesse winter day in over 100 years.

New market sponsor Randy Stubblefield of the Williamson Farmers Co-op says “local farmers have been coming in to purchase hay, straw, feed and bedding for their animals to protect from the sub-zero temperatures”.

If you would like to see pictures of how the ice and snow is affecting many of our local farmers, you can visit our Ice Storm Farm Pictures in our market photo gallery.

To keep current on all Franklin area news regarding this weeks ice storm and the hard sub-zero freeze visit the Williamson Herald.

Hatcher Dairy Farm, Moonshadow Farm, Flying S Farms, Delvin Farms, Bloomsbury Farm, Kirkview Farm, Noble Springs Dairy, Triple L Ranch, Purple Tree Farm, Tottys Bend Farm, West Wind Farms, Beaverdam Creek Farm, Earth Advocate Research Farm, Legacy Acres Alpacas and Bear Creek Farm all contributed pictures from their farms for this article and website photo gallery.

The Franklin Farmers Market is a year round, every Saturday, farmers market located behind the Factory in Franklin Tennessee.

Come visit the Franklin Farmers Market this Valentine’s Day to find the special home baked sweets or handmade artisan gift for that special person in your life.  Our local bakers will have many Valentine’s Day themed baked goods to take home and enjoy.  Cookies, cupcakes, chocolate dipped strawberries, strawberry cakes, strawberry bread and red velvet chess bars are just a few of the items you will find at the Franklin Farmers Market this market Saturday.

When you purchase one of Tom the Furniture Guys cute mini “Love” signs for your sweetie, you also get a free Sweetheart Pack of doughnuts which includes two warm and fresh doughnuts from Ellie’s Old Fashioned Doughnuts. A limited supply of Love signs are available.

Our hardworking artisans will have many special gift ideas, all handmade and unique gifts for that special someone!

We hope to see everyone on Saturday enjoying a great sunny market Saturday.  Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone!!!

Handmade Love Signs from Tom the Furniture Guy