Tag Archives: Growing Kids Educational Garden

Farm Dinner at Beautiful Bloomsbury Farm

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. Farm Dinner Farm Dinner

“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.

Farm Dinner“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.

Farm Dinner Bloomsbury Farm

Garden Plants and Early Veggies Welcome Spring 2014!

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Customers browse young garden plant seedlings from local farms

Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day. That old nursery rhyme could have been used to describe how we all felt about last Saturday morning. It felt like a wet, winter day but all it took was one step under the Franklin Farmers Market shed to know that spring is really here. All you had to do was to take a look around and see the signs of spring popping up all over the place. Of course, there were lots of good veggies, like greens and sweet carrots perfect for a good salad. And we saw several of you buying cuts of tender meat to throw on the grill soon.

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Kale and Carrots from Kirkview Farm

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Fresh spinach, lettuces and eggs from Somethin’ to do Farm

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Karen so proud of her local grown sweet carrots

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Newly harvested celery from Rocky Glade Farm

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A sample CSA basket from Beaverdam Creek Farm

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Farm grown leaks from Pilgrims Produce

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Fresh heads of lettuce just picked from Rocky Glade Farm

But there also blooms of color and garden plant seedlings everywhere, perfect to plant for a little backyard garden. We always know warmer weather is just around the corner when Purple Tree Farm is back at market with veggie plant seedlings and beautiful hanging baskets. Or when we see the bedding plants and bright marigolds from Kirkview Farms and the healthy plant slips from Paradise Produce. Then there were the lavender and rosemary plants from Earth Advocates Research Farm and the blooms of their beautiful Lenten Roses.

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Many choices of garden

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Red Beet plants for your home garden from Paradise Farm

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Beautiful flowering plants from Earth Advocate Research Farm

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Marigold plants from Kirkview Farm

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Lush green ferns from Purple Tree Farm

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Tomato plants from Kirkview Farm

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Lettuces and swill chard starts

planting-in-a-row-corn-kids-gardenWith all of the signs of spring at the market, we got a few questions about the market’s Growing Kids Educational Garden this past Saturday too. Veggies, fruits and flowers will soon be growing in the kids’ garden which is just across Franklin Road in the Park at Harlinsdale Farm. This is the 4th year for the garden classes, which are perfect for teaching kids about the environment and where food really comes from. Classes begin on April 22nd and are designed for kids Pre-K to 3rd grade.  And it’s all free! Get more info on the classes for April & May on the Kids’ page.

And finally with the warmer days of spring, comes a change in the market hours. Starting this upcoming weekend on April 5th, the Franklin Farmers Market will open one hour earlier. Market hours in April will be 8am to noon each Saturday, giving you longer hours to visit the market. Yes, spring has definitely arrived!  Visit Saturday Photos to see what was in market.

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Someone is happy Spring has Sprung!

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Local Tennessean’s come together at the Franklin Farmers Market every Saturday morning see good friends and buy farm fresh food

Blue Skies and Warm Weather bring out New Customers to Farmers Market

Never mind that one week ago, we had snow and ice on the ground. Saturday, it was sunshine and pleasant temperatures at the market. We even spotted a few folks dressed in t-shirts and shorts happily strolling around the market. It was a good day to grab great fresh food. Colorful carrots, apples and squash were plentiful, along with tender fresh lettuce.

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Fresh Carrots from Norton Family Farm

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Just picked kale from Kirkview Farm

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Squash and carrots from Kirkview Farm

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Fresh eggs from Moonshadow Farm

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Homemade soups from Lucy’s Kitchen

Lots of dairy goods and sweet treats too, such as cookies, pies and muffins were being snatched up and not all of it was making it out of the market. We spied some of you happily munching away while you walked around.

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Home baked cookies from Dozen

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Fresh made hummus from Hummus Chick

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A young shopper with her basket

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Handcrafted Jewelry from Rockin’ Robbin Ranch Design

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Antler dinnerware from Antlers

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Maple Pecan Bars from Flying S Farm

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Farm made goat soap from Totty’s Bend Farm and Dairy

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Barwood Signs from Tom the Furniture Guy

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Nursery Plants from Earth Advocates Research Farm

And what is it about sunshine and warmer temperatures that make us want to fire up the grill? There seemed to be quite a few of you walking out of the market with steaks or hamburger to grill out. The official first day of spring is just 10 days away and we’re ready for the greening of trees and lawns, along with the beauty of spring flowers. Everybody got a little tease of spring at the market, with early blooming plants with bright flowers. All in all, we have to say it really was the perfect sunny day at the market!

With warmer temperatures and sunshine comes the urge to start digging in the dirt. You know what we’re talking about. It’s time to get gardens in shape and start growing. And while gardens can take a lot of work, it’s a great place for kids to learn a lot. Things like where food really comes from or why ladybugs are super heroes in a garden. With classes like the Poop Pot Project and Doing the Worm Wiggle, kids can learn a lot in the market’s Growing Kids Educational Garden this spring. It’s a fun, hands-on way to learn about the environment, nutrition and how things grow. The free classes at the garden begin on April 22nd and are designed for kids pre-k through 3rd grade. Registration for April and May classes begins today. Get more info about the Growing Kids garden and download registration forms by clicking here. Learn to Grow – Grow to Learn!

Want to see more pictures from this past Saturday’s market?  Just click here.

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Farm ground cornmeal from Beaverdam Creek Farm

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Fresh made granola

Finally! March is Here and Spring is in Sight!

So the sun wasn’t shining at the market this past Saturday, but nobody seemed to care. Why? Because it was the first day of March which means spring is just around the corner and we can kiss that polar vortex weather goodbye. And while it won’t be long before you start seeing spring veggies, there are still plenty of tasty winter vegetables to be found. There were lots of winter greens at the market on Saturday to enjoy, along with the ingredients for a fresh salad of tender just picked lettuce, carrots and radishes.

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Norton Family Farm just picked lettuce mix

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Farm Fresh Carrots from Norton Family Farm

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Beautiful fresh lettuces, kale, radishes and herbs from Rocky Glade Farm

And while a lot of you were picking up fresh vegetables from the market farms, we saw plenty of you munching on sweets too, such as muffins, donuts and cookies as you walked around the market.

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Fresh Baked Cookies by Dozen

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Flying S Farm Apple pies

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Oh so good!  An Ellie’s Old Fashioned Doughnut fan

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Kirkview Farm Kale, Carrots and Butternut Squash

The official first day of spring is March 20th, but you don’t need a calendar to tell you that spring is fast approaching. All you have to do is look around the market and see all of the farms with CSA signs. Now’s the time to sign up for a CSA share from your favorite farm so that you’ll get a weekly box of the best, in-season fruits and vegetables throughout the spring and summer. Many of the farms a CSA program, so look for their CSA signs or ask if they offer CSA’s.

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Greg Brown, owner of Ford Lincoln of Franklin , our new Corporate Sponsor for 2014 with market management and farmers

And it’s now official – Ford Lincoln of Franklin is the first corporate sponsor of the Franklin Farmers Market. The Franklin Farmers Market is a non-profit 501(c)5 agricultural organization and with all of the support from the great sponsors of the market, we are able to help local farms to keep growing. And it also helps us bring great events to the market, such as the FFM Strawberry Festival and supports projects such as the Growing Kids Educational Garden. Our sincere thanks to Greg Brown, owner of Ford-Lincoln of Franklin – Welcome to the market family!

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Alpaca hand knitted ski caps by Legacy Acres Alpaca Farm

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Hand made Soy Candles by Intoxicating Aromas

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Custom creation of Miniatures by Phillip

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Red Rooster painted on real barn wood by Tom the Furniture Guy

Winter Produce, Canned Goods, Fresh Baked Food and Tennessee Maple Syrup!

Franklin Farmers Market

Snow covered Franklin Farmers Market sign

First, we say thanks to everyone who came out to the Franklin Farmers Market during the recent blizzard. Okay, we’re exaggerating, but the snow did fall during the first hour of the market this past Saturday. Of course, that made munching on a warm sweet treat from Ellie’s Old Fashion Doughnuts or Crêpe A Diem’s Bacon Bella crêpe even better. And when it’s a cold winter’s day, it’s just natural to crave comfort foods, like a warm bowl of homemade soup or fried chicken and biscuits. That’s why River Cottage Farm’s chickens were so popular, along with homemade breads from Jones Mill Farm.

Charlie Hatcher crepe

Charlie Hatcher enjoying a crepe

Franklin Farmers Winter Market

This little one was bundled up tight between Mom and Dad

Ellie's Old Fashioned Doughnuts

Ellie’s Old Fashioned Doughnuts hot and fresh

Lucy's Kitchen Soups

Lucy’s Kitchen soups ready for you tummy

Jones Mill Fresh Baked Breads

Jones Mill fresh baked breads are great with farm made soups

Even though the winter veggies at the market are tasty and fresh, some of you are getting a little anxious for warmer weather and the garden goodies that go with it.  Everyone’s a little hungry for spring, but we do have a solution to getting the most out of winter veggies and liven things up for your taste buds.  Just be a little creative. Use your imagination and prepare the carrots, cabbage, squash or other winter vegetables in different ways. From soups to salads, main dishes and even desserts, you can find recipes for hundreds of different ways to prepare winter veggies.

Hummus Chick Hummus

Hummus Chick Hummus is always fresh from her kitchen

Kennys Farmhouse Cheese

Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese are provided by Moonshadow Farm

Jones Mill Flourless Chocolate Cake

Jones Mill Flourless Chocolate Cake with a touch of Expresso

Jones Mill Chicken Salad

Jones Mill chicken salad and pimento salad are fresh made right from Judy’s kitchen

Tennessee Free Range Eggs

Tennessee Free Range Eggs from Pilgrims Produce

Farm Ground Corn Meal

Farm Ground Corn Meal and Grits from Beaverdam Creek Farm

To get you started, we’ve got a recipe for you. Pick up some butternut squash and carrots on your next trip to the Franklin Farmers Market and prepare this special Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup. It’s mouthwatering delicious!

Tennessee Maple Syrup

Tennessee Maple Syrup from Pilgrims Produce

And here’s something else to put on the list when you come back to the market – Tennessee maple syrup. That’s right – it’s Tennessee maple syrup, not Vermont or Canada. It is lip-smacking delicious for pancakes and waffles, but don’t dilly-dally about picking up a bottle. Pilgrims Produce Farm only tapped about 20 gallons of maple syrup this year, so it going to go quickly!

And finally, here’s another thought about spring – it’s time to get the kids in the garden. Look for information on the Growing Kids Educational Garden at the end of February. It’s a delicious way for kids to learn more about food, nutrition and the environment. Think Spring! And don’t forget to check out Saturday’s market day pictures.

Lucy's Kitchen Muffins

Lucy’s Kitchen Muffins always fresh baked

Flying S Farm

Catherine of Flying S Farms delivering an order of Valentine Day Cookies

Beaverdam Creek Soap

Beaverdam Creek Soap

 

Franklin Square Pickers Retire, Play at Farmers Market for Last Time

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Franklin Square Pickers

The sweet sound of a fiddle and the tickling of a mandolin’s strings; the passionate picking of a banjo and acoustic guitar – it’s all a part of the bluegrass music the Franklin Square Pickers have played for us since the market began.

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Red Marbut

But this past Saturday, we said goodbye to the band, as they played their last show. While Lauren’s musical career will continue to grow, Red, Gerald, Russell and Lily are hanging up their instruments and retiring.

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Russell Jackson

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Gerald Pollack

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Lizzy Jackson

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Mandolin Plater

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Mandolin Player

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Lauren Cocklyn

It was literally a sweet goodbye, as Lucy’s Kitchen made an incredibly delicious cake to celebrate the band’s history. And the pickers got an extra special gift for their years of being part of the market which was a caricature of the band created by artist Lorie Cooper.

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Retirement Cake by Lucy’s Kitchen

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Lori Cooper’s Caricature of the Franklin Square Pickers

So it’s a fond farewell to the Franklin Square Pickers and thank you for being a part of our market family!

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Friends of the Franklin Square Pickers pose together

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Lori Cooper did a fabulous job capturing the likeness of the Franklin Square Pickers

Mind your own Bees-ness. To Seed or Not to Seed. Doing the Worm Wiggle. These are all lessons from the market’s Growing Kids Educational Garden, where kids get an “edible education” about where their food comes from and what it takes to grow it. The movement to get kids to eat healthier and learn more about gardening and local farms is growing across the country. October is Farm to School Month, a time to celebrate the connections that are happening all over the country between schools and local food. The Franklin Farmers Market will continue its efforts in 2014 to educate kids through the Growing Kids Educational Garden. But we want it grow bigger and better and with your help, it can. In this Thursday’s edition of the market’s newsletter, find out how you can play a part in helping the garden grow for the kids.

Invasion of the Scarecrows

Farmer Market Meats, Fresh Vegetables and Apple Cider great for Fall Football Tailgating

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Apples!  Apples!  Apples!  So many varieties to choose from!

We’ve got to say, this past Saturday at the Franklin Farmers Market was just right… beautiful blue skies, perfect weather and the absolute best of fresh food from local farms. Who could ask for anything more? The first official day of fall is actually next Sunday, but the delicious food of the season is starting to come into the market now. Crisp apples and apple cider, root veggies and squash – fall is definitely just around the corner.

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Beautiful just picked Squash from Rainbow Hill Farm

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Collard Greens from Norris Family Farm

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Fresh Apple Cider from Kirkview Farm

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Multi-colored peppers are still in good supply and great for grilling

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Fresh picked Apples from Rainbow Hill Farm, Apple Pie Anyone?

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Fresh picked Lettuces from Norris Family Farm

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Triple L Ranch Fresh Beef Ribeye’s

Or maybe we should call it something else besides fall. Maybe we should call it football tailgating season, because a lot of you are picking up beef, chicken, pork and more from the meat farmers now. The market is the place for meats and veggies to be outdoor grilling before the football games.

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Grilling Triple L Ranch Ribeye’s on a Big Green Egg

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Fall Football Tailgating with Farm Fresh Beef , Chicken and Pork Delivers unmatched Flavor!

And there was a lot of talk about scarecrows at the market this past Saturday too. The Invasion of the Scarecrows takes place on October 19th, with lots and lots of scarecrows taking over the Franklin Farmers Market. It’s a big day of family fun, with a free pumpkin patch for the kids and much more. Look for more details soon. The Invasion of the Scarecrows is brought to you by the Williamson Medical Center.

scarecrow-tease-blog

Finally, this past Saturday was also a great day at the market’s Growing Kids Educational Garden. While the kids have gone back to school and the garden classes are over for the year, there’s a lot that needs to be done to put the garden to bed for the winter. And the community team from Whole Foods came out and took a big step in helping us get the garden cleaned up and ready to grow next spring. From pulling up weeds to taking out dead veggie plants, our friends from Whole Foods did a great job on the garden.

So we’ll say it again… all in all, this past Saturday was just right!

August brings Farm Fresh Produce to Franklin Farmers Market

Ha! The forecast was for a 30% chance of afternoon rain, but apparently nobody told Mother Nature. It was a cloudy day, with off and on rain. But that did not stop anyone from coming to Franklin Farmers Market this past Saturday. After all, it is the tip-top of the summer season, when just about any produce you could possibly want is ripe and ready.

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Farm Sweet Carrots from Norton Family Farm

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Grapes from Rainbow Hill Farm

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Fresh Salad Ingredients

Bell peppers and chili peppers; tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes and corn too.

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Multi colored Peppers from Gardner Grove Farm

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Silver Queen Sweet Corn

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Beaverdam Creek Farm Tomatoes

Cantaloupes were the big star of the show at the market and fresh peaches were also snatched up in a hurry.

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Delvin Farm Cantaloupes have arrived!

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Fresh Peaches from Rainbow Hill Farm

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Heirloom Tomatoes from Bloomsbury Farm

But while this is the high season for delicious summer produce and fruits, it’s almost the end of the road for some of the fresh veggies and fruits. Blueberry season is coming to an end and blackberries won’t be around much longer either, so if you are a big berry lover, head to the market this upcoming Saturday.  And if you are not sure what to do with all of that delicious fresh food, check out the market’s first cookbook, “Eating In Season.” You’ll find lots of great recipes from the market’s farmers and customers. It’s become very popular and is moving fast, so get yours at the market soon!

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Multi colored Peppers from Gardner Grove Farm

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Farm Fresh from Jones Mill Farm

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Ice Cold Chocolate Milk from Hatcher Family Dairy

Of course, the highlight of the day was the little junior farmers taking a field trip around the market. They were the students from the market’s Growing Kids Educational Garden in the Park at Harlinsdale Farm and they had a big time touring the market and talking to the farmers. The kids also made off with some great market goodies too, including corn from the King Family Farm, cucumbers from Zadock the Natural Farmer, peaches from Kirkview Farm and to top it off, chocolate milk from the Hatcher Dairy Farm.

And finally, mark your calendars for August 24th. That’s the date for the Franklin Farmers Market’s popular Watermelon Festival, presented this year by our good friends at the Williamson Herald and Southern Exposure Magazine. It’s a big sweet seed-spittin’ day of fun for the whole family!

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Farm Fresh from Pilgrims Produce

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Potatoes from Sturbridge Farm

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Fresh Basil from Colvin Family Farm

As always you can view pictures from this past Saturday’s market by clicking on “Photo’s” on the market website.  Or just click here to see if you are in any of the pictures.     https://franklinfarmersmarket.com/gallery/

Tennessee Tomatoes and Blackberries arrive at Farmers Market

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Fresh Blackberries make their entrance for 2013!

The Word for the Day is…

Actually it’s two words: Tomatoes and blackberries! The very first tomatoes for the summer season were available at the Franklin Farmers Market this past Saturday from Rocky Glade Farm. It wasn’t a huge amount, but who cares? They were the first real Tennessee tomatoes of the year and everybody wanted one.

There were the blackberries.

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Rocky Glade Farm had Tomatoes that sold out fast

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This girl is all smiles over farm fresh blueberries and tomatoes

Kelley’s Berry Farm had the first pick of their crop of blackberries and so did the Colbert Family Farm. Again, the first of the season and not in a huge amount, but within the next couple weeks, the number of blackberries will grow much larger.  Summer has officially started and with the warm weather and sunshine, more and more crops are ready for picking and enjoying, so what’s available at market changes each week.

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Kirkview Farm is loaded with summer produce

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The Green Beans and Cabbage are all so beautiful

The market was pretty busy this past Saturday. We even had a tour of folks from Kentucky. The Kentucky State Agriculture Department’s Roadside Market Tour brought a busload of people into visit and they had nothing but good things to say about your market.

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The Kentucky Roadside Market Tour visiting on Sat.

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Market Manager Deb Grant visiting with Kentucky tour

And finally, everyone kept asking about the photo of the kids with the tractor in the market’s newsletter last Thursday. Those little “farmers” are all part of the Growing Kids Educational Garden classes that we conduct at the Park in Harlinsdale Farm just across from The Factory on Franklin Road. The classes take place every Thursday at the garden and the kids get to learn about such things good bugs and bad bugs, why worms are a good thing and the scoop on how cow poop can make a garden grow. Lots of hands-on activities too and classes are free. Registration for July classes is open now. Find out more by clicking on Kids section of the market website. Come see us next Saturday at the market!

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As always Beaverdam Creek Farm has a large variety of Tennessee Farm Fresh Produce and CSA’s

Strawberry Festival Brings Record Crowd to Franklin Farmers Market

It was the first sweet bite of spring and boy, did everyone enjoy it! The 2nd annual Franklin Farmers Market Strawberry Festival was great fun for everyone this past Saturday with games and music, the Barnyard Petting Zoo and of course, lots and lots of delicious fresh Tennessee strawberries.

Delvin Farms Strawberries 1st Place Winner

Delvin Farms Strawberries 1st Place Winner

Whole Foods Serving up Hatcher Dairy Farm Gelato

Whole Foods Serving up Hatcher Dairy Farm Gelato

A record number of mouthwatering homemade strawberry shortcakes were sold. These festival favorites were made by Norton Family Farm and topped with sweet berries from the farms of the market and whipped cream from the Hatcher Family Dairy. Our thanks to everyone who bought a shortcake and supported the market. All proceeds from the shortcakes help to support the Franklin Farmers Market’s special projects, such as the Growing Kids Educational Garden program. And the delicious strawberry gelato from Whole Foods Market also sold out quickly, with proceeds again going to the Franklin Farmers Market operational fund. Our thanks to Whole Foods Market for being the presenting sponsor of this year’s festival.

Record Number of Strawberry Shortcakes Sold

Record Number of Strawberry Shortcakes Sold

Record Crowd Gobbles up Farm Fresh Strawberries

Record Crowd Gobbles up Farm Fresh Strawberries

And congratulations to Delvin Farms for winning the contest for the best-tasting strawberries at the festival. Their sweet Chandler variety strawberries were favorites with judges Richard Herrington, President and CEO of Franklin Synergy Bank; Marilyn Lehew, co-founder of The Factory and Stoveworks Restaurant; Chef Chuck While, Personal Chef and co-author of the cookbook, “If It Makes You Healthy” with artist Sheryl Crow and Erika Kurre, Fox 17 Weekend News Anchor. The judges also chose Noble Springs Farm’s booth as the “Strawberriest” with its decorations, while Alfresco Pasta and Beaverdam Creek Farm came in 2nd and 3rd place. All in all, it was a berry fun day!

3rd Place Winner Beaver Creek Farm

3rd Place Winner Beaver Creek Farm

This Strawberry gets a Kiss from Daddy!

This Strawberry gets a Kiss from Daddy!