Tag Archives: Alabama

What Makes a Successful Farmers Market?

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Basket of produce from Pilgrims Produce

What local ingredients contribute for a successful farmers market? Farm Fresh Produce, the best-hardworking local farmers, bakers and artisans with a community that embraces farm fresh food. That’s exactly what happens every Saturday morning of the year in Franklin Tennessee. We are blessed to live in Tennessee where farming is still a way of life for many Tennesseans. Franklin families gather each Saturday at the Franklin Farmers Market to see, touch and smell farm fresh produce our local farmers have been growing on their local farms.

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We want this watermelon!

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Organically grown okra and bell peppers from Delvin Farms

On Saturday we had beautiful squash, zucchini, peas, green beans, potatoes, herbs, peppers, over 30 different varieties of tomatoes, peaches, eggs, lettuces, blueberries, eggplant, fresh baked breads, home made pasta, okra, garlic, onions, watermelons, jams, jellies, preserves, radishes, Tennessee sweet corn, fresh baked tomato pies and Tennessee’s best local farm meats of beef, chicken and pork!

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Red potatoes and green beans from See Sun and May Lo Fresh Produce

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Evans Produce  peppers

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Purple Cherokee Tomatoes from Jones Mill Farm

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Beaverdam Creek Farm just picked tomatoes

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Peaches and cream corn from Conry Farm

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Delvin Farms sweet, sweet watermelons

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Sweet cherry tomatoes from Norton Family Farms

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Fresh picked cilantro from Kirkview Farm

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Hot peppers from Allenbrooke Farm

Our local artisans bring everything from fresh baked goods to farm made soaps; hand crafted artisan wood, peanut butter, lemonades with fresh peaches and watermelons mixed in, tie dye clothing, farm plants, real handmade barn wood signs, artisan jewelry, custom made corn hole boards and fresh baked Greek pastries.

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Refreshing lemonade with local watermelon or peach

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FFM recipe samples each market Saturday

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Fresh baked tomato pie and just picked lettuce mix from Norton Family Farms

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Home baked bread from Jones Mill Farm

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Peas and Lima Beans

Thank you to all our customers who travel from all over Middle Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky to shop for farm fresh food each Saturday morning.

This coming Saturday is our Watermelon Festival sponsored again this year by Whole Foods. Our local market will be stocked full with a bumper crop of watermelons. We will have watermelons by the slice, watermelon drinks, a seed spitting contest and the fastest watermelon eating contest. Don’t miss Franklin’s Watermelon Festival this coming Saturday!

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Our market website photo gallery showcases photos each week of who is at market and what our farmers, bakers and artisans bring to market each week. Come enjoy great food and music at the Franklin Farmers Market!

Farmers Bring Fresh Green Beans, Squash, Cucumbers, Blueberries, Peppers, Onions and More to Market

You know it’s going to be a good day when you spy the first of the blueberries at the market. They were the early variety, tasty and juicy. Those blueberries didn’t last long though, but that’s okay.

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Deb ringing in the Start of a wonderful Market Day

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Lot’s of new visitors and vacationers enjoying the day

The market was full of delicious food last Saturday. Green beans and new potatoes, along with cauliflower, beets and other fresh produce were plentiful. A lot of good farm eggs were snapped up too, along with tender steaks for the grill. Yummy breads, desserts and honey…. It was a food paradise!

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Fresh Flowers to Fresh Veggies at the market

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Lucy’s Kitchen always has Breakfast Treats ready

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First Cucumbers of Summer

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Where’s my Olive Oil and Outdoor Grill?

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Absolutely Beautiful Potatoes

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The new Franklin Farmers Market Recipe Book has wonderful Recipes from our Famers!

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We still have Strawberries…but not for long!

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Ellie’s Fresh Made Old Fashion Donuts

But sometimes you can’t find the vegetable you really want at the market. A lot of questions were asked Saturday about when would tomatoes show up at market; why weren’t there any watermelons and where was the corn? Georgia and Alabama produce typically is ripe and ready about two weeks before it is in Tennessee. The further south a farm is, the quicker the garden grows. Plus this year, we had a wet and cool spring, so some produce is running a little later than usual. But you need to be familiar with the seasonality of produce and fruit grown in Tennessee. Tomatoes typically are not ripe and plentiful until July. It’s the same thing with corn and watermelons are at their best in July and August too. Next Saturday, stop by the Market Information booth and pick up a free copy of Local Table. It’s a great guide to food and farming in Middle Tennessee, and it also has a big seasonality chart so you can get a better idea of when your favorite veggies and fruits are ripe and at market.

Speaking of tomatoes, nothing says summer like a deliciously ripe tomato. And we’re not talking about those tomatoes that are shipped in from other states or countries. We crave real tomatoes; the locally grown tomatoes. So when those first Middle Tennessee tomatoes are ripe and ready, it’s time to celebrate. And we’re going to do just that with our salute to tomatoes. Don’t miss the Franklin Farmers Market’s TomatoFest, July 27th. Fresh tomatoes are the stars of the show. Enjoy samples of delicious heirloom tomatoes. Watch cooking demos of Chef Steven from Amerigo. Learn seed-saving techniques and take part in the ugly tomato contest. It’s a tomato lover’s heaven… TomatoFest at the Franklin Farmers Market!

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New Fresh Peppers

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Lovely Green Onions

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The clean smell of Lavender was in the Air