Category Archives: Market Saturday News

Scarecrows Invade Market, Kids Paint Pumpkins

October 20, 2014

There were tasty crisp apples, tender greens, sweet potatoes and hot peppers, plus a whole lot of scarecrows and painted pumpkins at the Franklin Farmers Market this past Saturday. There was no way you could miss them. Scarecrows were everywhere you looked! The Invasion of the Scarecrows was a big hit, with lots of pumpkins, lots of kids and the star “scarecrow” of the market, Paulette the miniature donkey.

Market Sponsor Greg Brown of Ford Lincoln of Franklin with two Johnson Family Scarecrows

Kids loving on Paulette the Miniature Donkey

A perfect day for Pumpkin Painting!

King Farm Pumpkins in front of market

Beautiful CSA of Greens from Beaverdam Creek Farm

Hot Peppers from Norton Family Farm

Star of the Day Paulette the Miniature Donkey

Guess the weight and win the largest pumpkin

Olivia with plaid shirt guessed one pound off at 125 pounds to win the Biggest Pumpkin!

Plus there was the Great Pumpkin from the King Family Farm. It was big, really big. A pumpkin that was ready to go home with someone and be turned into the largest jack-o-lantern in the neighborhood. All you had to do was guess how much it weighed. The guesses on the weight of pumpkin ranged from 5 pounds to 2000 pounds. A lot of poking and prodding of the pumpkin took place, with people trying gauge its weight. The real weight of that big pumpkin was 126 pounds and the winner was just off by one pound in her guess.

And as you can see, Olivia Sorrell and her siblings were pretty excited over the win. It took two men to put the great pumpkin in the family car and haul it home to become a very impressive jack-o-lantern!

Family Fun all day

My special pumpkin

350 free Pumpkins for all kids

Best Scarecrow booth winner Blooming Baskets

As part of a friendly competition, farmers and vendors turned their market booths into creative scarecrow displays. Judges Greg Brown, owner of Ford Lincoln of Franklin, Steve Smith, Williamson County Commissioner and president of the Williamson County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Brandy Blanton, Alderman and Southern Exposure Magazine and Torrey Barnhill, of the Heritage Foundation and event manager of the Heritage Ball went through the market and took a look at all of the scarecrows. In the end, the judges picked Blooming Baskets Farm as having the best scarecrow booth, with Triple L Ranch coming in second place and Moonshadow Farm/V’s Pottery display in third place. The best “living” scarecrow award went to Anna Reyes of Light and Shine.

2nd Place best scarecrow booth Triple L Ranch

3rd place Best Scarecrow booth Moonshadow Farm/V’s Pottery

Best Living Scarecrow award to Anna Reyes of Light and Shine

Free Pumpkin Face Painting provided by market sponsor Ford Lincoln of Franklin

All in all, it was a fun-filled scarecrow, pumpkin painting kind of a day at the FFM. Take a look at the photos from the Invasion of the Scarecrows and get ready to smile!

Summer’s over and it won’t be long before fall turns into winter. But we’re ready. Many of our farmers grow all year-long and while the variety changes, you’ll still find the fresh vegetables grown locally that you love at the Franklin Farmers Market. Winter market begins on November 1st.

Beautiful weather with clear skies helped make this years Invasion of the Scarecrows a fun event for local families and friends.

Now is Best Time of Year to Buy Fresh Local Food

October 13, 2014

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Nothin’ like some real good fresh local food to make a soggy Saturday a lot better. Despite the rainfall, there were a lot of people out at the Franklin Farmers Market this past weekend looking for local food fresh from the farm.

Customers braving rain for local farm fresh food

Fresh local food from Rocky Glade Farm

Certified Organic Turnip Greens from Delvin Farms

Just harvested from Zadok the Natural Farmer

Dancing in the Rain

We can’t say that we blame them – some people think this is the best time of the year to buy local produce from our farmers, because you still get a nice bit of summer produce, but the cold weather veggies are starting to come into season too. It’s the best of both worlds for your taste buds. Visit our market photos from this past Saturday’s market to see what fresh local food we currently have at market.

Juliane tomatoes from Norton Family Farm

The strong smell of just picked Ginger was in the air from Rocky Glade Farm and Earth Advocates Research Farm

Sweet carrots from Bloomsbury Farm

Farm radishes from Bloomsbury Farm

Lettuce mix from Norton Family Farm

Beautiful cabbage from Kirkview Farm

This upcoming Saturday at the FFM is a big one, as scarecrows take over the market, making it a great day for kids. It’s the Invasion of the Scarecrows and with the scarecrows comes a big pumpkin patch for the kids, face painting and the Perfect Pumpkin Painting booth. And the best part is, it’s all free! Plus, there’s a special guest at the scarecrow invasion this year – Paulette, the miniature donkey will be dressed for the occasion and ready to visit with the kids. It’s all happening at the Invasion of the Scarecrows, October 18th at the Franklin Farmers Market.

So many different pumpkins to choose from including heirloom pumpkins from Purple Tree Farm

Small and large pumpkins from Kirkview Farm

Jim & Son from Rocky Glade Farm with harvest

November is just around the corner and with it, chillier temperatures. But it’s no big deal to our farmers. Thanks to hoop houses and row covers, they are able to extend seasons in the fall for some summer produce and start growing veggies in the spring a lot sooner. Plus the row covers help to protect plants from frost and cold temperatures. And of course, there are some vegetables that like cooler temperatures better than hot ones. That’s why the Franklin Farmers Market is a year-round market. Just because summer is over with, it doesn’t mean that we’re done too. The FFM’s winter market begins in November and hours will be 8am until noon each Saturday.

Enjoy Local Vegetables Each Market Saturday

October 6, 2014

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Regular market customer picking up flowers, cornstalks and pumpkins from King Farm

Sunshine, local vegetables, great meats and local dairy goods – It looked like a typical summer day at the Franklin Farmers Market this past Saturday, but it sure didn’t feel like it. Cool temperatures and a nippy wind reminded us that fall has arrived.

But that’s okay. Cold weather? Bring it on. The Franklin Farmers Market is a year-round market. So whether it’s hot, humid summer temperatures or chilly winter days, our farmers are at the FFM with local vegetables you love and it’s all from Tennessee farms.

We found just the perfect pumpkin!

Sweet baby bells from Allenbrooke Farm

Rocky Glade Farm has returned with many local vegetables like broccoli, lettuce, spinach, potatoes, radishes and fresh picked ginger. Kirkview Farm is harvesting the last of its sweet Tennessee corn along with a new crop of turnip greens and kale.

NEW! Fresh grown Ginger

Radishes from Rocky Glade Farm

Farmer Jim of Rocky Glade Farm

Fresh picked kale from Kirkview Farm

Final crop of Tennessee sweet corn from Kirkview Farm

Come and enjoy many locally grown vegetables from Tennessee’s best farms with fresh lettuce mix, cucumbers and tomatoes still in full supply.

Organic tomatoes and tomato juice from Delvin Farms

Just picked cucumbers from Norton Family Farm

Fresh herbs from Bloomsbury Farm

Turnip Greens are now in season throughout market

Purple Tree Farm Heirloom Pumpkins

The social calendar for the Franklin Farmers Market is quite full in October. This past Saturday, the FFM was part of the big Family Day celebration, just across the road in the Park at Harlinsdale Farm. This upcoming Friday and Saturday, the FFM will go back across Franklin Road to be a part of Bella Rustica, a vintage Americana flea market that benefits the Agape organization’s foster kids program. While the Franklin Farmers Market goes in our big market shed as it does every Saturday, there will be a FFM mini-market at Bella Rustica. On October 18th, the Invasion of the Scarecrows comes to the FFM and finally, the Franklin Farmers Market will have create the big “pumpkin tree” at Pumpkinfest on October 25th.

So did you wear a jacket to the market this past Saturday or were you running around in shorts, trying to draw summer out for as long as possible? Either way, we might have snapped a photo of you. Take a look at the big FFM photo gallery and find out!

Beautiful Mums from Purple Tree Farm

Invasion of the Scarecrows coming Oct 18th!

October 1, 2014

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The Invasion of the Scarecrows is coming to the Franklin Farmers Market. Every Saturday, you see your favorite farmers at the Franklin Farmers Market with all of the fresh produce and farm goods that you love. But on October 18th, the scarecrows take over and with all of those scarecrows comes a lot of fun for your family.

There’s a special pumpkin patch just for the kids, with some funny jack-o-lanterns watching over the patch. After picking out their pumpkin, kids can paint and decorate it at the Perfect Pumpkin Painting booth. Or the kids themselves can be decorated with cool Halloween face painting. The best part is that it’s all free for the kids!

As always, there will be plenty of delicious fresh food from your favorite farmers too. And from big and tall to short and small, there are lots of scarecrows are everywhere. It’s all happening Saturday, October 18th from 8am – 1pm – The Invasion of the Scarecrows at the Franklin Farmers Market.

Fresh Food at Farmers Market Every Saturday

September 29, 2014

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Every Saturday before the Franklin Farmers Market opens, there’s always a crowd gathered at the entrance into the market, waiting eagerly to get in and grab all of their fresh food favorites.

Sweet Cherry Tomatoes from Norton Family Farms

Certified Organic produce from Delvin Farms

Sweet peppers from Colvin Family Farm

Welcome back Rocky Glade Farm!

Music City Strings

But this past Saturday, people were not in such a hurry to get into the market because of the sweet sound of violins playing. The Music City Strings students were performing at the entrance to the market, playing such favorites as the Tennessee Waltz and Rocky Top. This special group of musicians range in age from pre-school to high school and they’ve played for audiences all over Middle Tennessee. The Music City Strings have now been invited to join a 2015 concert tour in Europe to represent the culture and music of Tennessee. If you missed their performance this past Saturday, mark your calendar for October 25th when they’ll be back at the market. Good food and good music at the Franklin Farmers Market – It’s the perfect combination for a great day.

Beautiful Music fills the market on Saturday

A special group of young people playing violins

It’s always colorful at the FFM, because of the large amount of fresh, local produce. Bright red tomatoes, yellow squash, green peppers, broccoli – the wide variety of vegetables makes for a big rainbow of color.

Red Tomatoes from Evans Produce

Sweet Peppers from Bloomsbury Farm

Fresh picked broccoli from Rocky Glade Farm

Fresh spinach and kale from Kirkview Farm

Butternut Squash from Delvin Farms

Locally grown squash from See Sun and May Lo Fresh Produce

But now, with the beautiful purples, yellows and burgundies of mums along the varying shades of delicious apples, the colors at the market have changed.

Beautiful fall mums now in market

Fresh Apples from Rainbow Hill Farm

Finding a special Pumpkin

There are gourds with green stripes and star-shaped squash with polka dots. Orange pumpkins can be found all over too. But it’s not just orange pumpkins. Some are white and some are green. There are pumpkins that look downright warty and others that have stripes. There are pumpkins that you can hold in the palm of your hand and a few that probably weigh more than you do. And with those all of those pumpkins, we know that scarecrows are just around the corner. Lots of scarecrows. Every October, the Invasion of the Scarecrows happens and this year’s invasion takes place on October 18th. It’s a fun day for the kids, with a special pumpkin patch and the Perfect Pumpkin Painting booth. There’s tricks and treats and funny Halloween face-painting too and the best part is, it’s all free for the kids. As always, there’s plenty of delicious fresh food from your favorite farmers at the market too. And from big and tall to short and small, there are scarecrows are everywhere. The Invasion of the Scarecrows takes place October 18th!

Fall colors all over market

Any size or color pumpkins now in market

Best Tennessee pumpkin crop in years

Barnwood Pumpkin Patch sign from Tom the Furniture Guy

Who and what did the market paparazzi catch on camera this past Saturday at the market? Find out with a look at the FFM photo gallery!

Market Customers Taste Local Farm Meats

September 21, 2014

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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.

Friends from Whole Foods

Over 50 pounds of grilled meats

Chef Michael

Friends from Hearth & Grill Shop

Veggies on a Fire Magic grill

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!

Grilled to perfection by Chef Michael

Grilled local beef on a Big Green Egg

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.

Colorful Peppers from Bloomsbury Farm

Sweet Cherry Tomatoes

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.

Pumpkin Roll from Norton Family Farm

Collard and Turnip Greens

Pumpkins Make Grand Entrance to Market

September 15, 2014

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Jones Mill Farms’ fresh tomatoes and peppers

The farmers at the Franklin Farmers Market have said it for a long time – if you don’t like the weather in Tennessee, just wait a day or two. It’ll change. And it did, as we went from 90 plus degree weather to temperatures in low 60’s in just a week’s time.

Even though it was a bit chilly, there was still plenty of summer veggies to be found at the market this past Saturday. Watermelons, peppers, green beans, tomatoes and okra were plentiful. But autumn is definitely on its way.

Allenbrook Farm’s beans

Lots of crisp bell peppers

Summer okra is still plentiful!

A lot of the fall crops are showing up now too. Pumpkins, big and small, crisp apples and lots of cabbage. Even the tasty baked goods at the market are starting to show the change in season, with goodies like pumpkin rolls now available. No matter the season, there is always delicious, seasonal fresh food at the FFM.

A variety of fall goodies from Kirkview Farm

Norton Family Farm’s yummy pumpkin rolls

Purple Tree Farm’s pumpkins

King Family Farm pumpkins

Beaverdam Creek grits

It’s also football season and that meant a lot of people were buying meat to slap on the grill this weekend. After all, if you are tailgating, you’ve got to step up and have the best burgers, chops or chicken to eat. We’ve got your chance to sample the meats available at the FFM coming up on September 20th. It’s Grill Day at the Franklin Farmers Market, with Chef Michael Martin grilling meat to perfection on grills provided by our good friends at the Hearth and Grill Shop. There will be plenty of tender, delicious samples of meat to try and find out what’s best for your next grill out or tailgating party.

There were also quite a few people asking about the market’s farm to table dinner, “Feast from the Fields”, a gourmet dinner with wine pairings to be held on October 4th. Chef Philip Krajeck of Rolf and Daughters Restaurant will creatively prepare a savory four course meal using only the best ingredients from our farms. This dinner event takes place at Bloomsbury Farm, which is one of the most beautiful farms in Tennessee. “Feast for the Fields” benefits the Franklin Farmers Market and our children’s educational garden which is an important program created by the Franklin Farmers Market Educational Foundation. There is a very limited number of tickets available for the “Feast for the Fields” event on sale now.

We love to take a lot of photos at the Franklin Farmers Market each and every Saturday and we love sharing them too. Take a look at our big photo gallery and enjoy!

Summer Farm Produce still in Abundance

September 8, 2014

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Kirkview Farm watermelons

The calendar says it’s September, but at the Franklin Farmers Market this past Saturday, you couldn’t tell it with so much summer farm produce still available. The temperatures made it feel like a hot day in July but that’s okay because the warm weather makes the season for those summer farm produce vegetables longer than usual. There’s still plenty of tomatoes, watermelons, sweet and hot peppers and all your other summer farm produce favorites at the market. We saw several people thinking ahead though, buying large numbers of veggies to freeze or can to enjoy the summer produce all winter long. That’s a good thing to do, but if you’d rather eat food straight from the garden, don’t worry. There will be summer vegetables at the market for several more weeks.

Norton Farm’s fresh lettuce

Lots of good bell peppers

Picking out apples

For those of you who are true connoisseurs of delicious fresh food, mark your calendar for October 4th and join us for “Feast from the Fields”. This unique farm to table dinner will be held at Bloomsbury Farm, the perfect setting to relax and enjoy an abundant gourmet meal with wine pairings.

The perfect place for a gourmet meal is at Bloomsbury Farm

James Beard Award nominee Chef Philip Krajeck of Rolf and Daughters Restaurant will creatively prepare a savory four course meal using only the best ingredients from local farms, such as Bear Creek Farm and Bloomsbury Farm. Proceeds from “Feast from the Fields” benefit the Franklin Farmers Market and the Franklin Farmers Market Educational Foundation. Tickets are on sale now.

The official first day of fall this year is September 23rd and that caused a lot of people to stop by the market’s info booth to find out when the market would shut down for the winter. A little cold weather doesn’t bother us – the Franklin Farmers Market is a year-round market. Our farmers don’t stop growing during the winter. And while the produce grown in cooler temperatures differs from summer vegetables, there’s still a lot of good vegetables to eat. To find out what’s at the Franklin Farmers Market during the winter, stop by the info booth and pick up a free copy of the Local Table magazine. There’s a big seasonality chart in Local Table that will show you the peak season for practically every vegetable and fruit grown in Middle Tennessee. Winter market begins on November 1st!

Cooling he veggies with water

Smiling faces at the market

Taste it – you’ll like it!

We like to share the photos we snap each week at the market. See who and what we captured on camera with a visit to the Franklin Farmers Market’s photo gallery!

Farm Dinner at Beautiful Bloomsbury Farm

September 4, 2014

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A gourmet farm dinner on the grounds of beautiful Bloomsbury Farm would be a dream come true for connoisseurs of fresh food. Therefore, we’re making that dream a reality. Enjoying fresh sustainably grown food from local farms is a pleasure that deserves to be celebrated. Join us for “Feast from the Fields”, a unique culinary experience featuring delicious food from the farms of Middle Tennessee on October 6th. This farm to table dinner will be held at Bloomsbury Farm, one of the most picturesque farms in Tennessee. Surrounded by lush meadows and the wooded hills of Rutherford County, Bloomsbury Farm provides the perfect setting to relax and enjoy an abundant gourmet meal with wine pairings. James Beard Award nominee Chef Philip Krajeck of Rolf and Daughters Restaurant will creatively prepare a savory four course meal using only the best ingredients from such farms as Bear Creek Farm and Bloomsbury Farm. The menu of “Feast from the Fields” will showcase the intense appetizing flavor of the fresh food straight from local farms.

“Feast from the Fields” proceeds will benefit the Franklin Farmers Market and the Franklin Farmers Market Educational Foundation. The 501 c 3 organization focuses on educating the public about local agriculture and the significant role that it plays in the economy, environment, health issues and overall aesthetic values of communities. One of the main objectives of the foundation is to teach children about nutrition with an appreciation of food from seed to plate. In 2011, the Franklin Farmers Market Educational Foundation formed a partnership with the City of Franklin Parks to establish the Growing Kids Educational Garden. The free garden program gives children hands-on lessons about the good health values of fresh food along with a greater understanding of where food comes from.

“Feast from the Fields” farm dinner tickets are sold in advance at the Franklin Farmers Market or by emailing leeann@bearcreekbeef.com. Tickets are $250 per person and include cocktail hour and a four course meal with wine pairings.

Local Farm Produce Now at Peak Season

September 1, 2014

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Long line for Ellie’s Old Fashion Doughnuts

Franklin families came to market early to buy local farm produce from our Tennessee farmers before the predicted rains. The overcast skies brought cooler temperatures and a large crowd of hungry eaters. The rains never came, and the long line at Ellie’s Old Fashioned Doughnuts stayed strong at 60 plus for three straight hours. Tis the routine at the Franklin Farmers Market to secure breakfast from Lucy’s Kitchen, Ellie’s Old Fashioned Doughnuts, Norton Family Farms, Jones Mill Farm, Biscuit Love or Crepe A Diem before shopping for local farm produce.

Lucy’s Kitchen has full selection of breakfast items

CSA pickups from local farms happen all market day

Zak’s Eggs are farm raised

Blueberry Muffin + Young Girl = Big Smile

Zadok the Natural Farmer Tomatoes and Green Onions

This year’s summer crop has been bountiful from all our local Tennessee farms. We are blessed to be seeing the sweetest watermelons and best tasting tomatoes with over 30 different varieties to choose. Find sweet Tennessee corn, squash, zucchini, peppers, okra, cucumbers and so many different varieties of potatoes from many of our local farmers. The first of butternut squash, kale, romaine lettuce and pumpkins are now in market meaning fall is coming soon.

Kirkview Farm fresh picked tomatoes

Sweet corn is still available in market

Paradise Produce squash and zucchini

Colorful peppers from Bloomsbury Farm

Okra is still available from many farmers

Farm Fresh Green Beans from Allenbrooke Farm

Organice potatoes, butternut squash and eggplant from Delvin Farms

Organically grown sweet potatoes from Colbert Farm

Miniature pumpkins from Pilgrims Produce

The sight of our first pumpkins in market means the Invasion of the Scarecrows is not far off on October 18th presented by our corporate sponsor Ford Lincoln of Franklin. But before scarecrows are roaming the market we have our September 20th Grill Day event hosted by the Hearth and Grill Shop with Chef Michael Martin of Whole Foods Market using his culinary skills to grill local farm meats. Our local Tennessee meat farmers produce the states best tasting Beef, Chicken and Pork you can find. Our meat farmers use no hormones or antibiotics. All animals from our local farm meat producers are humanely raised insuring flavorful tender tasting meats.

Be sure view pictures from Saturdays market, its a great way to see what produce, baked goods and artisan crafts we have in the market. See you next Saturday!