The farmers at the Franklin Farmers Market will spice things up at the Local Farmers’ Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, March 25, 2017 from 9am till 12noon. Eight meat producing farms will be participating in what has become a free popular event at the market. Customers will be treated to each of the farmers’ special recipe made from either chicken, beef, lamb and even bison! Tasting begins at 9am and customers are invited to cast their ballots in a race to find out which farmer has the best chili. Voting ends at 10:45am with the new Grand Champion announced in front of the market at 11:30am. You can pick up ballots to vote at the market information booth, at each farm booth or download your ballot with this link.

The Franklin Farmers Market has the largest selection of local meats in middle Tennessee. Participating farms are Triple L Ranch, Red Cedar Bison Ranch, Tavalin Tails Farm, Little Spring Creek Farm, Hatcher Family Dairy, River Cottage Farm, and West Wind Farms.

Franklin market customer, Bonnie Ferguson, exclaimed at last year’s event, “This was so much fun and I can’t believe it was free!” She went on to say that tasting chili from each of the eight meat vendors gave her the opportunity to meet farmers she wouldn’t have normally met, and now she knows what other vendors have to offer. “I’ll make sure to shop with them in the future,” Ferguson said, “ It was so nice talking to the farmers participating in the cook off and getting to know more about their farm.”

Over one hundred customers sampled and cast their vote in 2016 and Red Cedar Bison was crowned the Grand Champion of the first ever local farmers’ chili cook-off. Owners of the second generation family business, Dennis Fioravanti and Brock Hughey were ecstatic to prove that their bison chili recipe is the best and this year they will defend their crown to be the 2017 winners!

Franklin Farmers market artisan, Tom the Furniture Guy, donated his talent to the chili cook-off by making the Grand Champion sign and said he was “Very proud to be part of the Franklin Farmers Market and excited to support all the special projects the market does.” Come out this Saturday and choose the farmer who has the best chili and deserves the beautiful handmade champion barn wood sign!

For more information about the participating vendors in the Local Farmers’ Chili Cook-Off, visit the Franklin Farmers Market every Saturday at the Franklin Factory, 230 Franklin Road, Franklin, TN 9am-12pm.

The Franklin Farmers Market will host its second annual CSA Day on March 11 sponsored by Williamson Medical Center and Amerigo Italian Restaurant. In a CSA, a farmer “contracts” with other people in the community to provide them with a portion of the year’s harvest. CSA customers pay the farmer before the produce season begins, allowing the farmer to buy necessary seed, fertilizer, fuel and other inputs to farm for the year. When crops start coming in, the customer’s fresh, local food is already bought and paid for. For the meat farmer, a CSA commitment helps the farmer know how many animals to raise and helps with the cost of feed and processing. CSA members can come to the Franklin Farmers Market to pick up their shares. Here’s your CSA Day Passport!

 

 

 

 

Why join a CSA? The reasons are many, but the most important reasons are the nutritional value in freshly harvested food and supporting your local economy. We all have a doctor for our health, but what about a farmer? With a CSA you can have a personal relationship with your farmer and get to know who is growing your food and how. By buying a CSA, your money goes directly to your local economy, your personal farmer, and you are helping to keep the family farm alive while having access to healthy, nutritious food.

 

The CSA model has changed frequently through the years, but the idea is to have a “share” of the harvest. Some farmers offer a “market style” CSA where members choose what is in their share, and some put shares together for the members with recipes on how to prepare the food.

 

CSAs aren’t confined to produce. Some farmers include the option for shareholders to buy shares of eggs, homemade bread, meat, cheese, fruit, flowers or other farm products along with their veggies. Some farmers have just meat in their CSA, where members get a monthly or bimonthly share of mixed beef, pork, chicken and lamb. At the Franklin Farmers Market we have all kinds of options for customers. Our CSA day is designed for customers to spend some time talking with the farmers to see what is the best fit for them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Franklin Farmers Market has more CSA vendors than any other market in the area. Customers can find meat AND vegetable CSA farmers at the Franklin Farmers Market, including:

Beaverdam Creek Farm  (vegetables)
Bloomsbury Farm  (vegetables)
Delvin Farms  (vegetables)
Flying S Farms (vegetables, eggs)
Hatcher Family Dairy (meat, milk, eggs)
Jones Mill Farm (baked goods, jams, vegetable )
Kirkview Farm  (vegetables)
Peaceful Pastures (meat)
Red Cedar Bison Ranch  (bison meat)
Tavalin Tails Farm (meat)
Triple L Ranch  (meat)
West Wind Farms (meat, milk, eggs)

Pick up a CSA Day Passport from our market Information booth identifying the farms you can visit about their CSA program. Or download a CSA Passport with this link.
Find a vegetable and meat CSA farmer at the Franklin Farmers Market’s first CSA day on March 11 from 9:00 am- 12:00 pm. The market is located at 230 Franklin Road behind the Factory.