This Saturday at the Franklin Farmers Market, find stalls filled with produce harvested fresh for Thanksgiving — tender greens like turnips and collards to sauté with onions and local bacon, sweet potatoes for casserole that have been recently excavated from the cool fall soil, and turnips and crunchy cauliflower to roast and serve alongside your juicy turkey. Fall produce is bountiful and fresh for Thanksgiving this Saturday at our farmers market.

If anything captures the feeling of Thanksgiving, we think it is the smell of fresh sweet potatoes roasting in the oven. The aroma permeates throughout our homes and gives us a cozy feeling that only exists around the holidays. The Franklin Farmers Market offers an array of different sweet potato varieties, from the giant ‘Beauregard’ to white Japanese varieties to the copper-skinned ‘Carolina Ruby.’ We like to roast our sweets on a high heat to ensure extra caramelization (between 400 to 425 degrees) for an hour. After they’re good and toasted, slowly peel back the skin to reveal the bright-orange flesh bathed in a burnt sugar coating. Find your favorite variety of sweet potato fresh for Thanksgiving casserole this Saturday.

Why make the same side of potatoes this year when you can mix up your mash with roasted cauliflower and turnips? These two vegetables grow sweeter when roasted, and when pureed with butter and a little cream, you have a new variation of traditional mashed potatoes. Find turnips and interesting varieties of orange and purple organic cauliflower at the Delvin Farm’s booth this Saturday.

If there’s one thing our farmers’ market has in aplenty, it’s tender fall greens harvested fresh for Thanksgiving. We like to braise collards and kale in chicken stock with onions and bacon from West Wind Farms. Because a side of dark green collards that are fresh for Thanksgiving is a must for every Southern holiday menu.

We at the Franklin Farmers Market know you’re planning one heck of a Thanksgiving this year, so we’re here to help with one of our favorite holiday recipes  — Southern Cornbread Dressing baked in your favorite cast iron skillet. Right now, our market is teeming with all the Thanksgiving staples you will need to create the freshest local Thanksgiving feast —  freshly-dug sweet potatoes for casseroles, apples and pumpkins for pies, heirloom cornmeal for dressing, locally-raised bacon, freshly-harvested herbs, and all the fall vegetables for a smorgasbord of sides. So grab that cast iron skillet and get it good and hot, because this Southern cornbread dressing recipe is not one to pass-up.

What makes this Southern cornbread dressing from the Franklin Farmers Market so unique and delicious is the stone-ground heirloom cornmeal from Beaverdam Creek Farm. This cornmeal produces the freshest cornbread with the most tender crumb that we have ever tasted, and adds such a lovely texture to our Southern cornbread dressing.

To begin, fry 12 ounces of West Wind Farm hickory smoked uncured bacon in your favorite cast iron skillet. Remove bacon, crumble and set aside. Reserve all drippings in a separate bowl except for 2 tablespoons, and place skillet with bacon grease in a heated 400 degree oven.

Next, build the cornbread batter: Combine 2 cups Beaverdam Creek Farm stone-ground cornmeal with 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar (optional!!!!) and whisk together with a fork. Next, add the wet ingredients:  Crack in 1 farm egg, 1/4 cup of either bacon drippings or vegetable oil, and 1 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Fold all ingredients together until just combined (batter should still be lumpy). Quickly and carefully remove hot skillet from oven and pour in batter. If the batter sizzles, you know you are doing it right! Bake for approx 20 minutes, or until cornbread is golden brown. Top with Hatcher Family Dairy sweet cream butter, and remove from skillet to cool. Add two more tablespoons of West Wind Farm bacon drippings to skillet and set aside.

 

For the vegetables and herbs, we begin with a knob of butter or olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add two large diced sweet onions from Evans Produce to the pan with a pinch of salt and sauté until onions begin to brown (approx 5 minutes). Then add 1 1/2 cup small-diced fresh celery from Paradise Produce, and sauté until vegetables are tender. Then, add 1/4 cup of finely-diced fresh herbs from Bloomsbury Farm. We chose sage, rosemary, and thyme. Once veggies and herbs are brown and soft, remove from heat and add to a large mixing bowl. Place skillet and bacon drippings into oven to heat.

Finally, crumble the cornbread on top of the vegetable, add crumbled West Wind Farm bacon, and mix to combine. Next, add 2 cups of chicken or turkey stock. Taste and season dressing with salt and pepper before adding 2 farm eggs and combining. Remove skillet from oven and pour-in dressing. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until the top is browned and the center is spongy. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Cast Iron Southern Cornbread Dressing

2 cups Beaverdam Creek cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar (optional!!!)

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1 large farm egg

1/4 cup either West Wind Farm bacon drippings or vegetable oil

2 large sweet Evans Produce onions, small-diced

1 1/2 cups small-diced celery from Paradise Produce

1/4 cup chopped fresh Bloomsbury Farm herbs

olive oil

Hatcher Family Dairy Butter (optional)

2 cups chicken or turkey stock

2 farm eggs

salt and pepper

With the lovely weather and it being football season and all, we’re firing-up the grill this weekend for locally-raised steaks, like this Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Herb Butter from Triple L Ranch. Our farmers’ market hosts six different local farms that raise all-natural meat without the use of antibiotics or hormones, and the selections are endless. From ribeyes, to New York Strips and filet mignons, to whole chickens, bacon, pork chops, racks of lamb, bison and more, the Franklin Farmers Market is where to shop for all-natural locally-raised meat. So ready the grill and get some sunshine while you still can, because this weekend grilled flat iron steak is on the tailgating menu.

Locally-raised meat, like this flat iron steak from Triple L Ranch, has been raised in open green pastures and never treated with growth hormones. The cattle are grass-fed and grain-finished, which gives the meat an excellent flavor and tender texture, perfect sliced and set on top of salads, in sandwiches, or even seared in your favorite cast-iron skillet. And when topped with Hatcher Family Dairy sweet cream butter and a mix of lemon zest and fresh chopped herbs from Bloomsbury Farm, this grilled flatiron steak becomes a mouth-watering cut above the rest.

This recipe could not be quicker or easier for a weekend tailgate or backyard cookout. All you need are the right aromatics — a fresh bulb of garlic from Beaverdam Creek Farm, a mix of Bloomsbury Farm herbs (we like parsley, rosemary, and thyme), Hatcher Family Dairy sweet cream butter, lemon zest, olive oil, and plenty of sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper are a great touch. Finely chop the garlic and fresh herbs to combine with room temperature butter, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, and salt and pepper. For an extra boost of flavor, we rubbed Bloomsbury fresh herbs, lemons zest, salt, pepper and olive oil on our flat iron steak and let rest as it absorbed all the yummy flavors for 30 minutes before grilling. Place the steak on a hot grill for 5 minutes on one side and 4 on the other to get this grilled flat iron steak to a nice medium rare. Top with a dollop of herbed butter, and enjoy a locally-produced meal provided by your premium Tennessee farmers.

Add a sophisticated spin to classic au gratin potatoes with this Winter Squash Gratin recipe — prepared with locally-produced ingredients from our farmers market. Sweet kabocha and butternut squash are sliced and layered in a cast-iron skillet before being doused with a savory cream sauce and finished with a topping of caramelized onions, local cheeses, and breadcrumbs. Add fresh herbs, white wine, nutmeg, and Dijon mustard to the mélange and this winter squash gratin will outshine a scalloped potato dish any night of the week.

As the cooler months arrive, so do all the different varieties of heirloom winter squashes in many shapes, colors, and textures. Yet, for the average farmers’ market shopper, approaching these unfamiliar cucurbits can be somewhat daunting. That’s why beginning with a simple recipe that highlights a new variety, like this winter squash gratin, can be useful in giving a timid cook the confidence he/she needs to master a new selection.

The kabocha squash is a Japanese pumpkin variety that is best known as one of the components in vegetable tempura. Although similar to the butternut, the kabocha is sweeter with a fluffier, lighter texture. Kabocha has a thin edible skin and excels when roasted or pureed into luscious soups. The freshest kabocha and other winter squashes can be found at the Rocky Glade Farm booth at the Franklin Farmers Market.

To begin this farmers’ market winter squash gratin, start with a cream sauce of Hatcher Family Dairy Whole Cream, white wine, garlic, freshly-ground nutmeg, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and a fresh herb bouquet from Bloomsbury Farm (we love Bloomsbury’s sage, rosemary, and thyme). Place all ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a light boil for approximately 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

While your cream sauce is resting, thinly slice 1 jumbo or two medium yellow onions, and sauté in a cast-iron skillet with 2 tablespoons of Hatcher Family Dairy Sweet Cream Butter and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh Bloomsbury Farm thyme leaves until the onions are caramelized. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Next, arrange two petite, orange kabocha squashes and a thick-necked butternut squash from Rocky Glade Farm on a secure cutting board. Slice both ends off all three squashes, peel the butternut (leave the skin on the kabocha for added texture), remove seeds, and slice the squashes in 1/3” slices.

In the same cast-iron skillet that the onions were caramelized in, arrange the slices of kabocha and butternut squash until the skillet is almost full (you may have some slices leftover to use in pasta or roast for a snack). Strain the cream sauce, pour the liquid onto the squash, and top with the caramelized onions.

Next, comes everyone’s favorite ingredient — the cheese! Gruyère is a Swiss baking cheese with a hard texture and earthy, nutty flavor used in many gratins and quiches. For this recipe, I chose Kenny’s signature Norwood and Kentucky Moon cheeses from Moonshadow Farms (all Kenny’s signature cheeses can be sampled at the Moonshadow Farm booth). The Norwood has the nutty profile and crystalline texture reminiscent of a Gruyère, and the Kentucky Moon Swiss adds a sweetness to the mix. Add the grated cheese mixture on top of the caramelized onions, press down, and pop into a 400 degree oven until the liquid is bubbling and the cheese has begin to brown nicely (approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.)

Finally, finish your winter squash gratin with 1/2 cup herbed bread crumbs combined with 1 tablespoon of the Hatcher Family Dairy melted sweet cream butter. Continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes until breadcrumbs are brown and the liquid has been absorbed. (Note: Rocky Glade Farm winter squashes are incredibly fresh and may not absorb all the cream sauce added. If this happens, pour-off the rest of the liquid from your skillet and reserve for a creamy pasta dish or to use in another winter squash gratin.)

Winter Squash Gratin

2 Rocky Glade Farm kabocha squash

1 Rocky Glade Farm butternut squash (small, thick-necked)

1 large sweet yellow onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Bloomsbury Farm thyme leaves

1 cup grated Kenny’s Norwood cheese from Moonshadow Farm

1/2 cup grated Kentucky Moon Swiss cheese from Moonshadow Farm

1/2 cup herbed breadcrumbs (regular breadcrumbs work fine)

Hatcher Family Dairy Sweet Cream Butter

Cream Sauce

1 cup Hatcher Family Dairy Whole Cream

1/2 cup chicken stock (or substitute more cream)

1/2 cup white wine

2 cloves Rocky Glade Farm garlic

1 bunch Bloomsbury Farm sage

1 bunch Bloomsbury Farm thyme

1 bunch Bloomsbury Farm rosemary

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (we like a lot!)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper