Tag Archives: Middle Tennessee

New Fall Events Coming to Farmers Market

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Norton Family Farm Fresh Carrots

Fall is definitely in the air. At the market this past Saturday, it was a bit cool with a light breeze, making it the perfect morning to stroll around with a warm doughnut and a cup of hot coffee from Ellie’s Doughnuts.

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Flying S Farm White Chocolate Friendship Bread

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Pumplin Rolls sell out fast from Norton Family Farm

Other signs of fall at the market too, like the first appearance of winter squash, more root veggies, apple cider…

…and lots of pumpkins.

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A Pumpkin Helper

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Cinderella Pumpkins

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King Farm Pumpkins Invade the FFM

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Small Pumpkins for young visitors

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King Farm Flat Bed Trailer Filled with Pumpkins of all colors and sizes

But the thing that tells us that fall is really here is the big question we’re asked every year – When do you close down for winter? The answer is, we don’t. The Franklin Farmers Market goes on year-round. Surprised? You’re not alone. A lot of folks wonder how a farmers market that’s dedicated to food from local farms can be open during the winter. In Tennessee, our winters are a bit milder and that allows farmers to extend their warm weather crops a little longer.

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Beautiful Tomatoes still in good supply

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Beaverdam Creek Farm Fall Eggplant

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Trish holding a CSA from Beaverdam Creek Farm

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Bloomsbury Farm Wheat Grass and Beets

And a number of farmers now use “tunnels” which consists of metal frames with plastic stretch over them. The plants are in the garden patch like they normally would be but the protection of the tunnel keeps frost from killing the plants. And finally, there are quite a few vegetables that prefer to grow in cool weather, like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage or carrots and potatoes.  The winter season for the Franklin Farmers Market begins in November.

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Fall Mums and Custom Baskets from Bloomin’ Baskets

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Fresh Jams and Preserves from Jones Mill Farms

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Brenda of Moonshadow Farm hosting Kenny of Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese

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Pilgrims Produce with their fall produce selection

Meat lovers, rejoice! Next Saturday, October 5th is the Day of the Grill at the market with samples of tender beef, pork, chicken and lamb from our Tennessee meat farms at the market. Enjoy tasty bites of meat from Triple L Ranch, Bear Creek Farm, West Wind Farm, Peaceful Pastures, River Cottage Farm and Beaverdam Creek Farm.  Chef Jeff Lunsford will use his talents on the grill to prepare the delicious samples.  Chef Jeff is a grill expert extraordinaire from The Hearth and Grill Shop. The Hearth and Grill Shop is locally owned and has been Middle Tennessee’s favorite spot for top-notch grills for over 40 years. This is your chance to enjoy mouthwatering samples of meat grilled to perfection on a Big Green Egg Smoker & Grill, which considered by many to be the best grill ever made. Don’t miss it… next Saturday, the Day of the Grill at the Franklin Farmers Market!

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Persimmons bring a smile to Lauren of Bloomsbury Farm

Giant smiling pumpkins and tiny little scarecrows were spotted at the market this past Saturday and they were all pointing to one thing… The Invasion of the Scarecrows is coming soon with lots of fun for the family. How about a kids pumpkin patch, funny face painting and a pumpkin decoration booth? And the best part is it’s free. It’s happening on October 19th  – The Invasion of the Scarecrows at the Franklin Farmers Market.  Presented by our good friends at Williamson Medical Center.

Visit our Photo Gallery to view pictures from this past Saturday’s Market and all Saturday Markets since May of this year.

Farm Fresh Summer Produce still available at our Tennessee Farmers Market

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Maybe it was that yummy roll with sausage from Jones Mill Farms. Or it could have been a deliciously sweet treat from Ellie’s Doughnuts with a good cup of hot coffee. Or perhaps some of Hatcher Dairy’s famous chocolate milk was the way to start the day. Whatever it was, despite the wet weather, a whole lot of you showed up and munched on breakfast goodies while walking around the market this past Saturday morning.

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Ellie’s Old Fashioned Doughnets

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Norton Family Farm Pumpkin Rolls

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Singing in the Rain!

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BB’s Gourmet Pretzels

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Wonderful Granola MIx

And our farmers and vendors really appreciate that, because whether it’s rain or shine, hot or cold, there’s good fresh food harvested every day. So again, big thanks to everyone who came out to shop at the Franklin Farmers Market in less than ideal weather.

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Pumpkin Face Drawing

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Peaceful Pastures now taking Turkey orders

The cooler, wet weather shouldn’t have been a surprise though because Sunday was the official first day of autumn and that means some changes are coming in the produce at the market. There are still a lot of your summer favorites, like tomatoes and cucumbers or squash and field peas.

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Farm Fresh Tonmatoes

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Just picked Okra

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Summer Veggies from Pilgrims Produce

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Produce variety from Pilgrims Produce

But with the change in the season, different veggies start showing up. Not everything in the garden is harvested during the hot days of summer. There are a number of vegetables that grow better in cooler temps and are ready to be harvested during both spring and fall.  That’s why there is a good supply of such veggies like radishes, beets and carrots during the cool months at the market. Turnips, lettuce and sweet potatoes are plentiful during the fall and spring too. Many farms in Middle Tennessee grow all year long, so the Franklin Farmers Market stays open all year long. The winter market officially begins on November 2nd.

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Pumpkins in market from Purple Tree Farm

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Sweet Potatoes from Colbert Farm

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Wagon of Pumpkins from King Farm

And of course with the fall season, pumpkins come to the market. And when the pumpkins start showing up (like they are now), scarecrows are not too far behind them. October 19th is the day for scarecrows to take over the market. The Invasion of the Scarecrows is great day for family fun, with a free pumpkin patch for the kids, yummy pumpkin goodies to eat, plus the kids can paint pumpkins and get their faces painted too! The Invasion of the Scarecrows is presented by the Williamson Medical Center.

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Cherry Jelly from Norton Family Farm

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Sunflowers and Veggies from Beaverdam Creek Farm

Great veggies to eat and enjoy; lots of pumpkins and a market takeover by scarecrows… We love fall at the Franklin Farmers Market!

Farm Produce Now Purchased in Bulk for Winter Canning and Freezing

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Early Saturday morning at the Franklin Farmers Market, there was a just a little touch of fall in the air. Cooler temps made for a nice start to the day. But soon, the day went back into summer mode with bright sunshine and hotter temps. It was fitting though, because there are still plenty of summer favorites available from the farmers.

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Summer Okra still in good supply

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Fresh picked Herbs from Bloomsbury Farm

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Cucumbers, Large and Small Tomatoes from May Lo Fresh Produce

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Green Beans from Rainbow Hill Farm

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Fresh Plump Tomatoes from Rainbow Hill Farm

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Mark Alan Artisan Woods

But this past Saturday was also the very first market day of September and while we are all about fresh food from local farms, September brings more unique arts and crafts to the Franklin Farmers Market.  Every Saturday in September we celebrate the local artisans of middle Tennessee. Long time favorites, such as V’s Pottery, Lovely Beads by Brenda and Mark Alan Artisan Woods are at the market through September, but there are new crafts people too, like El’s Silverware and Glass Gardens by RuthE.

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Hand made beads from Lovely Beads by Brenda

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Hand carved wood from Mark Alan Artisan Woods

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Custom made craft baskets from Bloomin’ Baskets

September also brings the first of big beautiful flowers to market too, like those from Bloomin’ Baskets and the huge mums from Purple Tree Farm. And the first of the pumpkins are also starting to show up. Pumpkins little and big, orange or striped white and green were spotted this past Saturday. Fresh apples are now at the market too, along with apple cider. Fall is definitely just around the corner.

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Nice variety of Pumpkins from Purple Tree Farm

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Just picked Apples from Rainbow Hill Farm

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Apple Cider from Kirkview Farm

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Fresh Carrots from Norris Family Farm

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Sharon talking recipes with a young chef!

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Fresh Baked Cookies from Dozen

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Great Traditional Bluegrass from the Franklin Square Pickers

And with the approach of cooler weather, some of what occurs each fall at the market is quite odd. Things start to look different and curious characters begin to appear. Keep your eyes wide open…They are coming to the market soon. Very soon.

Visit photos from this past Saturday’s Market by clicking here!

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Heavy Rain visits the Farmers Market and Farms across Middle Tennessee

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Rain can’t keep away CSA customers

Rain, rain go away, come again some other day. We need rain to help the crops grow. However, what fell last week was a little more than we wanted. But it didn’t stop the farmers from getting out there and picking the best in fresh,Tennessee produce. And it didn’t stop the Franklin Farmers Market or our loyal customers either. Thanks to everyone who visited the market this past Saturday.

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The market information booth was rain prepared

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Families seemed to enjoy the rainy day

Despite the downpour, quite a crowd came out to get delicious veggies, such as carrots, cabbage and okra. More ripe and juicy tomatoes were at the market too, plus some unripe ones that were perfect for fried green tomato sandwiches.

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Okra now in supply

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Jones Mill Farm Heirloom tomatoes

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Beaverdam Creek Farm and their CSA baskets

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Blue Honey Farms Blueberries

Blackberries and blueberries were snatched up, along with yummy sweet peaches. And the first ears of corn were spotted at the market too. By the way, all of you corn lovers, take note: Rumor has it that the King family farm will have delicious Silver Queen corn this upcoming Saturday.

Fresh Blackberries from Kirkview Farm

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1st Corn of 2013

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Fresh Eggs from our youngest Farmer

And welcome to a new farmer at the Franklin Farmers Market. The fresh eggs that Zach Whitler brought to market went fast this past Saturday. And even though he’s only 11 years old, Zach already has quite the brood of chickens, such as Silkies, Leghorns and Ameraucanas, producing multi-colored eggs that are almost too pretty to eat. If you missed out on Zach’s eggs, don’t worry. He’ll be back at the market this Saturday, along with the sunshine we’ve been missing!

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Jones Mill Farm Onions and Heirloom tomatoes

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Norton Family Farm cherry tomatoes

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This market visitor is so happy she found just what she was looking for!

Farm Fresh Produce being purchased in Record Numbers

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Rocky Glade Tomatoes gone by 10am

And they’re off! When our farmers market opened last Saturday, it was just like the start of a race. Everyone was in a rush to find their favorite veggies and fruits. Farm Fresh Tomatoes were being grabbed in a hurry and blueberries were flying out of the market. Baskets of sweet juicy peaches were also being snatched up, along with beef steaks, ribs, ground beef, pork chops and other naturally raised farm meats for the outdoor grill. We take pride in having the best in fresh, locally grown food at the Franklin Farmers Market. And when produce such as tomatoes first start showing up, they are at the top of the list for everyone to take home.

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Kelly’s Blueberries

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Jones Mill Onions

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Beaverdam Creek Veggies for Foodies

But relax. There’s plenty of good food at our farmers market. And the amount of farm produce and fruits you love increase every week through out the summer. For example, this past Saturday several of the farmers had the first of their tomato crop at the market. And there will be even more tomatoes to choose from this week. It’s the same thing with blueberries and other seasonal favorites. Our farmers grow a lot of food and you’ll always find a great selection at the Franklin Farmers Market.

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Fresh Cut Flowers always popular

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Jim Vaughn of Rocky Glade Farm

A lot of you stopped by the market information booth this past weekend to find out who had fresh corn or where the watermelons could be found. Remember, the food at the Franklin Farmers Market comes from local farmers, so it’s a little too early for both of those goodies to be ripe and ready in Middle Tennessee. But come by the info booth the next time you’re at the market and pick up a free copy of the Local Table magazine. It’s got a big seasonality chart so you can get a better idea of when your favorite veggies could be showing up at the market.

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Delvin Farm Tomatoes

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Kelly’s Blackberries

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All smiles after visiting the market

We also had a lot of people asking where to find the ATM. There is an ATM near the front of The Factory. But the best things is to plan ahead and bring small bills, like ones, fives and tens to the market. And there are several farmers who now accept credit and debit cards too. So come on out to the Franklin Farmers Market this upcoming Saturday and get all of the food you want for your 4th of July weekend!

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Colvin Farms Lettuce

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Colvin Farm Lettuce

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Beautiful Lettuces from Colvin Farm

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A young supporter of Tennessee’s Colvin Farm at the Franklin Farmers Market back lot

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

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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

Hatcher Dairy Farm on NBC Today Show with Al Roker!

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Did you get to see the Hatcher Family on the NBC Today Show yesterday morning? If you missed Al Roker of the Today Show broadcasting from the Hatcher Family Dairy Farm in College Grove, Tennessee, here are a few links to coverage of the show broadcast from the Hatcher Family Dairy.  What great weather for a special NBC Today Show segment with Al Roker direct from the Hatcher Family Farm!

Charlie Hatcher told me last week how excited they were that Sharon had entered a contest called “Wake Up With Al” 2 weeks ago.  After entering Hatcher Family Dairy online into the “Wake Up With Al” contest Sharon Hatcher received a phone call within a few hours asking them to be available for an interview.  From there, Charlie says it all happened so fast.  Congrats to the Hatcher Family on representing Middle Tennessee and Tennessee Farmers so well!  We are all so proud to have Hatcher Family Dairy as part of the Franklin Farmers Market!

Real Farmers!   Real Food!   Real Good!

Video of The Today Show broadcast


Watch it at Today.com

Charlie Hatcher Shares the Experience

Related Links

If you find any more footage from the Today Show segment “Wake Up With Al”, please email us and we will add it here.