The Franklin Farmers Market held its 8th annual Tomato Festival on Saturday, July 14^th amid a vibrant crowd. Children were entertained with two bouncy houses, kids games, Magda the Storyspider and face painting. But our local farmers weren’t interested in face painting; they were ready to compete in what has become the bragging right for the year- the best tasting tomato! Visit this link for all the photos of the Tomato Festival. 

Market customers cast ballots and chose the best tasting tomato in a blind taste test of samples from each farmer. With over eleven farms at the market with homegrown tomatoes, from heirloom to standard, slicing and cherry tomatoes, it was hard for customers to choose just one! 

The contest was divided into two categories: Heirloom Tomatoes and Standard Tomatoes.  The term heirloom is given to the variety of tomato seed that is fifty or more years old. Some heirloom varieties are as much as $1 per seed! The term standard is given to hybrid varieties of tomatoes, grown for their commercially attractive characteristics. Heirloom tomatoes can’t be found in a typical grocery store because they do not ship well. They typically have softer skin and are best eaten within a day of harvest. Whether you like heirloom or standard tomatoes for your BLT’s and salads, you won’t find another market in the middle TN area with the largest selection of homegrown tomatoes. At the Franklin Farmers Market you can try a new variety that can’t be found in a box store and talk with the farmer who grew it. 

After hundreds of ballots were cast by our market customers, the decision was made  and our winners are: 

Best Tasting Heirloom Tomato Winners:

1^st Place- Beaverdam Creek Farm

2^nd Place- Bloomsbury Farm

3^rd Place-Colbert Farm

1st Place Best Tasting Heirloom Tomato winners Trish & Phillip Lingo of Beaverdam Creek Farm

Best Tasting Standard Tomato Winners:  

1^st Place- Colbert Farm

2^nd Place- Norton Family Farm

3^rd Place- Delvin Farms

1st Place Winners Lindsey and Tim Colbert of Colbert Farm for Best Tasting Standard Tomato of the Franklin Tomato Festival

The decision was announced with much enthusiasm as market staff presented each winning farm with a ribbon and certificate. Another year of bragging rights for our farmers is in the books. 

Festival attendees enjoyed all that our market has to offer- fresh, locally grown produce, locally made artisan goods and four local food trucks for breakfast and lunch. Admission to the festival and the market as always was free.

The Franklin Farmers Market is held every Saturday from 8am-1pm behind the Factory in Franklin, TN. The market is a 16 yr old producers only market with the largest assembly of local farmers providing fresh farm food all year long each Saturday morning. Find us at 230 Franklin Road behind the Factory. Visit us online at www.franklinfarmersmarket.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest market news. Visit this link to view all the photos of the Tomato Festival. 

The Franklin Farmers Market will host its 8th annual Tomato Festival on Saturday, July 14 beginning at 8am. Farmers will vie for the best tasting tomato in the popular taste test judged by you, the customer! Children will have many free activities for fun and entertainment. 

Last years 1st Place winner Colbert Farm voted by you the customer

Customers will be in for a real treat with free tomato tasting from our local farmers.  No one will want to miss the tomato-tasting contest with 14 participating farms in the categories of Heirloom or Standard tomatoes.  This year our contest will be a blind taste test judged by the customers attending the market between the hours of 8:00am-11:00am. Winners of the contest will be announced at 11:30am. 

Taste all the different varieties of Tennessee grown Tomatoes and vote the Best Tasting Tomato of 2018! Which Farm will win this year?

“The farmers market summer season is in full swing now that the “queen” of the farm has made her way to the market. Everyone waits for the perfect homegrown tomato and that wait is finally over! We are honored to have the largest selection of farmers in middle TN in one location, and proud to be a producers only market. You won’t find a better tasting homegrown tomato than right here in Franklin, grown by the farmers who are here,” says Franklin Farmers Market Director, Amy Tavalin. 

The most flavorful tomatoes are locally farm grown

It’s a family affair at the Franklin Tomato Festival with free children’s activities that include a bouncy house, tomato storytelling by Magda the Story Spider, free face painting, a balloon artist and kids games. Everyone will enjoy free tomato tastings of locally grown tomatoes from our farmers picked less than 48 hours before the event. You can’t find a better, homegrown event than the Franklin Tomato Festival! 

Festival attendees can enjoy all that our market has to offer- fresh, locally grown produce, locally made artisan goods and local food trucks for breakfast and lunch. Admission to the festival and the market is free.

The Franklin Farmers Market is held every Saturday from 8am-1pm behind the Factory in Franklin, TN. The market is a 16-year-old producers only market with the largest assembly of local farmers providing fresh farm food all year long each Saturday morning. Find us at 230 Franklin Road behind the Factory. Visit us online at www.franklinfarmersmarket.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest market news. 

The Franklin Farmers Market will host its 8th annual Franklin Strawberry Festival on Saturday, May 12 beginning at 8am, hosted by market sponsor, Williamson Medical Center. Farmers wil

Which Farm will win the Best Tasting Strawberry of 2018?

vie for the best tasting strawberry in the popular taste test judged by local celebrity judges: Andy Marshall, Chef and Owner of A.Marshall Foods, Pearl Bransford, Alderman for the City of Franklin and Brandy Blanton, Alderman for the City of Franklin and Editor of Southern Exposure Magazine. Best Tasting Strawberry judging begins at 10am with the winners announced around 11am.

Free children activities will include games, a balloon artist and Magda the Storyspider will delight all ages with special strawberry stories. The first story time will be at 10:30am and the second story time will be 11:15am. Story time will take place under the tree by the patio. 

The sweetest tasting strawberries come from our local Tennessee Farmers!

Karen’s famous short cakes, a local favorite tradition from Norton Family farm, will once again be the popular dessert in the celebration. Karen’s delicious shortcakes will be topped with local berries and whip cream made from Hatcher Dairy cream. Chef Michael Martin of South Fork Catering will be serving up a buttermilk biscuit strawberry treat, Belle Springs will have strawberry lemonade and Ellie’s Donuts will have their seasonal strawberry donuts. Many farmers and vendors will have their own strawberry surprises for customers to enjoy. 

A market favorite each year with over 1,000 strawberry shortcakes served with fresh strawberries and cream

It’s a family affair at the Franklin Strawberry Festival with free children’s activities, strawberry treats and locally grown strawberries from our farmers picked less than 24 hours before the event. You can’t find a sweeter event than the Franklin Farmers Market strawberry festival! 

The Best Tasting Strawberry judges always have a Berry good time!

Festival attendees can enjoy all that our market has to offer- fresh, locally grown produce, locally made artisan goods and food trucks, Califarmia, Jay’s Chicago and Et Voila for breakfast and lunch. Admission to the festival and the market is free! 

Cassie & Derby Jones of the Williamson Herald, Thank you for all the wonderful support you give our Community Farmers Market each year!!!

The Franklin Farmers Market is held every Saturday from 8am-1pm behind the Factory in Franklin, TN. The market is a 16 yr old producers only market with the largest assembly of local farmers providing fresh farm food all year long each Saturday morning. Find us at 230 Franklin Road behind the Factory. Visit us online at www.franklinfarmersmarket.com or follow us on facebook, twitter and instagram for the latest market news. 

The Franklin Farmers Market is pleased to host the third annual CSA Day on Saturday, April 7 sponsored by Williamson Medical Center and Amerigo Italian Restaurant. At this informational event customers will be able to talk with the farmers who grow their food and join others in middle TN who are:

• eating healthful foods and preparing them for their families;
• supporting their local farmer;
• being kind to our planet;
• learning something new; and
• being adventurous in the kitchen.

Families love picking up their weekly CSA Share from organic grower Delvin Farms

CSA (community-supported agriculture) is a subscription to a season’s worth of sustainable, locally grown produce or meat that is distributed to members throughout the harvesting season. It is a form of investment that allows small farmers to continue growing on a scale that may not be sustainable without the CSA model. CSA members enjoy the quality of fresh meat, fruits and vegetables for their family, while supporting their local Franklin Farmers Market farmer.

The rich certified organic soil of Delvin Farms along the Harpeth River has been growing and harvesting CSA Shares for local families all over Middle Tennessee now for 17 years

The most popular time to join a CSA each year is now. To promote this important time for farmers, the Franklin Farmers Market is providing a day dedicated to connecting customers with farmers who will grow their food. It’s an entire day dedicated to the celebration of community-supported agriculture, and CSA farmers enjoy an influx of sign-ups from members, which gives them revenue when they need it most for the growing season.

Our seven market farms offering CSA Shares are full of locally grown produce like these CSA baskets ready for pick up from organic grower Bloomsbury Farm.

“Community-supported agriculture is about relationships and feeding families in our community,” said Amy Tavalin, director of the Franklin Farmers Market. “CSA members will be cooking food that they may not have been exposed to otherwise. It’s a great way to support your farmer but also to learn more about eating with the seasons.”

Amerigo Italian Reostaurant is an eight year sponsor of the Franklin Farmers Market who often performs Food demonstration and is this years Tomato Festival presenting sponsor

Williamson Medical Center is a seven year sponsor of the Franklin Farmers Market and presenting sponsor for this years Strawberry Festival

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. CSA day is designed for customers to spend some time talking with the farmers to see what is the best fit for them. 

A smiling face will great you each week for delivery of your very own harvest of fresh locally grown produce each Saturday morning

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 (eggs, vegetables)
• Kirkview Farm  (vegetables)
• Peaceful Pastures (meat)
• Tavalin Tails Farm (meat)

“The CSA day is a perfect way to showcase all that our farmers have to offer outside of what they bring to the market,” said Franklin Farmers Market Director, Amy Tavalin. “We have the largest selection of CSA farmers in middle TN, and even more than just vegetables. You can find meat, eggs, bread, milk and vegetable CSA, all grown by one of the farmers at the market. We are proud to be in Franklin and proud to be a producers only market where we have real food and real farmers.” 

The beautiful CSA Baskets of organic grower Bloomsbury Farm are one of seven Farm CSA options from the Franklin Farmers Market

Find a vegetable and meat CSA farmer at the Franklin Farmers Market’s first CSA day on April 7 from 8:00 am- 1:00 pm.  The market is located at 230 Franklin Road behind the Factory. 

It’s official, Danny the Turkey has been Pardoned by TN Ag Commissioner! The Franklin Farmers Market 3rd annual Pardoning of the Turkey was held on Saturday, November 18th sponsored by Herban Market. The star of the show, Danny the Turkey of Earth’s Advocates Research Farm, was not at all nervous about whether or not he would be pardoned. Instead, he sat royally on his bale of hay as children and adults took the opportunity to pet and hug him. Danny is a pro at being the center of attention and children gathered around him for a chance to pet their first turkey. Visit this link to view the Photo Gallery of Danny’s pardoning. 

Second Graders from Liberty Elementary School wrote over 90 letters to the TN Department of Agriculture’s Commissioner Jai Templeton on Danny’s behalf and delivered them to the Commissioner asking him to pardon Danny for Thanksgiving. Commissioner Templeton was happy to oblige and graciously granted Danny clemency in front of hundreds of market attendees.

Thank you presenting sponsor Herban Market seated front row, L to R Market Director Amy Tavalin, Ashlea, Ayla & Matt Hogancamp of Herban Market, back row L to R Adam Turtle of Earth Advocates Research Farm, Ryan Palmer of FFM, Ag Commissioner Jai Templeton, Danny the Turkey, Asst Ag Commissioner Ed Harlan and Sue Turtle of Earth Advocates Research Farm

Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture, Ed Harlan, delighted the crowd with turkey facts. Being a farmer himself, Ed gave insight into the farmers who provide us with delicious Thanksgiving foods. Ellie’s Donuts provided donuts for the children who wrote letters to the Commissioner and the fun day was complete with many “selfies” taken with Danny. It’s not everyday that one can say they took a picture with a Royal Palm Heritage breed turkey, but the customers of the Franklin Farmers Market can check off that one on their bucket list!

At this very moment Danny the Turkey is being Pardoned by TN Commissioner of Agriculture Jai Templeton to the delight of Liberty Elementary School Children and residents of Franklin, TN

The Franklin Farmers Market is open 52 weeks a year. Gone are the days of markets closing down in the winter months due to no produce. The farmers at the Franklin Farmers Market grow year-round thanks to crop row covers, hoop houses and green houses. The meat producers provide beef, pork, chicken, lamb, turkey and vegetable producers have leafy greens, winter squashes, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, lettuces and more. It’s not hard to eat seasonally and locally right here in our hometown! This Thanksgiving we are grateful for the farmers who provide us with healthy, locally grown food to nourish our bodies and we are thankful to live in such a wonderful community of Franklin, TN.

The Franklin Farmers Market is open year round with winter hours of 9am-12pm November-March and 8am-1pm April-October The market is located at 230 Franklin Road behind the Factory.

TN Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture Ed Harlan visiting with the children of Liberty Elementary School about Danny the Turkey before Danny is pardoned.

The Franklin Farmers Market 3rd annual Pardoning of the Turkey is Saturday, November 18th at 10am sponsored by Herban Market. This fun, family oriented event is centered on our market turkey, Danny, of Earth’s Advocates Research Farm. Children will be delighted to meet and pet the Royal Palm Heritage breed turkey that will be pardoned by the Assistant TN Commissioner of Agriculture, Ed Harlan.

Friends and Family can pose with Danny the Turkey all market long!

Children are invited to download this coloring sheet and write a letter to the Commissioner of Agriculture asking him to grant amnesty to Danny for Thanksgiving. Deliver your letter by 9:45am to the market information tent for a chance to win a farmers market prize! There will also be a coloring tent set up for children visiting the market who want to color and write a letter on Danny’s behalf.

Market Sponsor Herban Market owners Matt & Ashlea Hogancamp with Ayla

The November farmers market is full of beautiful produce you may not know is still in season, just in time for Thanksgiving! November 18th is the perfect time to buy your sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens, radishes, turnips, pumpkins, winter squashes and more! Some farmers will still have cherry tomatoes available to go with the lettuce! Bring your children to the market as we give thanks to the farmers and teach them where our food is grown and enjoy our wonderful celebration of Pardoning of the Turkey! Thank you Herban Market for sponsoring this fun event for kids, families and friends. We look forward to your free Olive Oil tasting at the market!

“The Franklin Farmers Market has always done an excellent job of connecting local families to local farm foods. I’m especially pleased to be a part of this special event because it extends that connection to school children who are learning about the importance of agriculture in our lives.”  — Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture Jai Templeton  

The Franklin Farmers Market is open year round with winter hours of 9am-12pm. The market is located at 230 Franklin Road behind the Factory.

A large crowd gathers each year to see if Danny the Turkey is given a pardon.

Students at Liberty Elementary School got an October treat on Halloween Day when “Farmer Jon” delivered a trailer full of pumpkins to their school. Jon and Teresa Clarke of Purple Tree Farm in Shelbyville are farmers at the Franklin Farmers Market. Every year they bring their most beautiful and unique pumpkins and mums to the farmers market, and this year they shared their bounty with Liberty Elementary School for their annual Fall Fling. Children in grades 1-4 chose their favorite pumpkin to take home. “Farmer Jon,” as the children lovingly referred to him, grew pumpkins of all sizes, shapes and colors and drove them from his farm in Bedford County.

This season has been a wonderful one for TN pumpkin growers. The weather has been just right for the perfect Halloween decoration. Purple Tree Farm owner, Steve Grace and farmers Jon and Teresa grew many varieties that one can only see at the Franklin Farmers Market and not in stores. After the peak market season they were left with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes that did not sell at the market. The neighbor’s cows usually look forward to October’s special treat, but this year Jon wanted to give back to the community that has supported his business for many years at the Franklin Farmers Market, and what better way than to bring his farm to the city of Franklin’s children.

From left to right from Liberty Elementary School Assistant Principal Dr. Jenetta Davenport, Principal Dr. Cheryl Robey, Franklin Farmers Market Director Amy Tavalin with Jon & Theresa Clarke of Purple Tree Farm

Principal Dr. Cheryl Robey called each class outside to meet their farmer and choose a pumpkin. Turks Turban, a unique heirloom pumpkin, was the choice of many of the happy students. White pumpkins, colorful carnival acorn squash and tiny orange pumpkins that fit in the palm of their hands were the delight of the smaller children. Over 500 children went home with a pumpkin of their choice from Farmer Jon and the school Fall Fling Day was a success.

For more information about Farmer Jon and other vendors at the Franklin Farmers Market, visit the Franklin Farmers Market every Saturday at the Franklin Factory, 230 Franklin Road, Franklin, TN 9am-12pm November-April and 8am-1pm May-October.