Tag Archives: Norton Family Farm

Sunshine brings out Tennesseans for Winter Farm Fresh Foods!

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Sunshine brought happy smiles from everyone at the market on Saturday!

Sunshine, smiling faces and the best in farm fresh foods from local farms – there’s not a better way to start the day and that’s what type of day it was at the market this past Saturday. What a difference a week can make! No more nasty polar vortex weather to deal with and that brought lots of happy people out the FFM.  Quite a few of our farmers sold out of their fresh winter produce.

Brussels sprouts and cabbage, colorful carrots and potatoes were going home with smiling customers as well as baskets of fresh apples.

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Paradise Produce

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Pilgrims Produce

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Kirkview Farm

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Farm Fresh Veggies for the week is a good thing

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Kirkview Farm still has crisp sweet apples!

Fresh baked goods, grits, eggs, pecans and tender local beef, pork and chicken – it was all at the market Saturday.  And we spotted some of you taking home fresh green kale for salads or maybe to make that crazy good kale fudge pops recipe we told you about last week.

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Lucy of Lucy’s Kitchen enjoying the sun

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Tennessee pecans from the Diggs Family Farm

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Flying S Farm sweet treats

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Homemade soups from Lucy’s Kitchen

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Organic locally made baby food by Chubby Bunny

Speaking of recipes, some of you have been asking about the market’s Eating in Season cookbook and where you can get a copy of it. The cookbook booth is on winter break, but you can still pick up a copy of Eating in Season at the market. You’ll find the cookbooks at the Norton Family Farm booth. And while you are there, pick up some of the Norton’s famous fresh lettuce or delicious baked goods, like Karen Norton’s fantastic biscotti – perfect with a fresh cup of coffee!

And finally, we also spotted quite a few of you stopping by to ask the folks at Triple L Ranch about the name of their new four-legged family member. But they don’t know, because voting for the calf’s name isn’t over with yet. This Saturday, January 18th the polls will close, so you need to get your vote in now and pick the name for the little fellow. Should he be named Bartholomew or is Jasper a better name? What about Ollie or Buttermilk? You make the choice. Vote now!

The Franklin Farmers Market is community driven Saturday morning farmers market bringing together the best local farmers in the state of Tennessee.  Visit our photo gallery and farmer profiles to learn more about Tennessee farm fresh produce and meats

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An excited market customer buying her first Miniature by Phillip, hand crafted by a local artisan

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Custom barn wood signs by Tom the Furniture Guy

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Folk art on a sunny day

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Muffns from Lucy’s Kitchen brings a smile

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We’re just happy to be at the market!

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Hatcher’s Chocolate Milk

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Nothing sweeter than local honey from Johnson’s Honey Farm.  Great for hot winter drinks!

Local Farmers providing Fresh Lettuce, Spinach and other Vegetables this Winter!

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Fresh lettuce from the Norton Family Farm

Salads are a summer treat, right? So how can there be fresh picked lettuce and spinach at the Franklin Farmers Market on a cold winter’s day? Just ask the market’s reigning lettuce master, Jim Norton.  This past Saturday at the market, it was cold. Very cold. But the Norton Family Farm had beautiful tasty lettuce and spinach. How was that possible?

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Norton Farm’s tender fresh spinach

You can find lettuce and spinach from the Norton farm practically year-round at the market because of the loose-leaf varieties of lettuce and spinach that Jim plants in succession and the use of hoop houses and row covers to protect the lettuce crops from weather and insects.  So even though we’ve had plenty of cold days this December, the Norton lettuce and spinach crop continues to thrive.

There were also plenty of winter veggies at the market this past Saturday too, such as winter squash, sweet ‘taters and Brussels sprouts.

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Winter Squash

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Delvin Farm’s cabbage

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Winter veggies from Paradise Produce Farm

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Checking out the vegetables from Pilgrim’s Produce

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A wide variety of winter veggies to choose from

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Freshly baked!

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Soups from Lucy’s Kitchen

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Lots of yummy jellies from the Norton Family Farm

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Tasty Brussels sprouts at the Franklin Farmers Market

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Put some green in your diet!

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The market’s “Eating in Season” cookbook

Eating vegetables year round is a healthy way to stay in shape. But maybe you are not quite sure what to do with a bunch of beets or a head of cabbage. You can find an easy solution to fixing meals with winter vegetables at the market. Pick up a copy of the FFM’s cookbook, “Eating in Season”. It has recipes for each season of the year. Let’s say that you picked up a turnip at the market but were not quite sure what to do with it in the kitchen. The Eating in Season cookbook has a recipe for Baked Turnip Fries that will leave you begging for more. You can pick up a copy of the Eating in Season cookbook through the winter season at the Norton Family Farm booth. It’s just $15 (plus tax) and it can make every meal, year-round delicious.

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Lots of goodies from Lucy’s Kitchen

On this Wednesday, we say goodbye to 2013 and hello to the New Year. And with the new year, come a couple of changes at the Franklin Farmers Market.  Starting January 4th, dogs will no longer be allowed at the market, so please leave your pets at home when visiting the market. Secondly, the market’s winter hours will change. As of January 4th, the Franklin Farmers Market will begin opening at 9am and close at noon. Those hours will remain in place until the start of the spring/summer season at the market.

As we close out this year, the farmers and the vendors at the Franklin Farmers Market want to express their appreciation to everyone who came to the market and made 2013 a record-breaking successful year.  We are very grateful for your support of local farms. Thank you!

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Tom the Barn Wood Sign Guy’s unique creations

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Antlers natural treats for your four-legged friends

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Loading up on a great variety of freshly baked breads from Jones Mill Farms

Farmers Delivering Winter Produce, Baked Goods and Artisan Crafts for Holiday’s

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Over 50 coats and blankets were donated this past Saturday for the “Love Will Keep Us Warm campaign

It was more than what we hoped for and much more than what we expected. After all, this past weekend was the official start for the mad dash to the mall for holiday shopping, so it was great to see how many of you showed up at the market Saturday. But the real surprise was how many of you came bearing gifts such as warm blankets and coats; mittens, scarves and winter clothing. The number of donations made to the Love Will Keep Us Warm campaign was so large that another vehicle had to be called to come to the market and pick up the clothing and blankets for the charity.  Your generosity will help many people in our communities stay warm through the winter. But yet there are many more that need your help. Financial hardships such as losing a job can make something as simple as buying an extra blanket a tough thing to do. So if you missed coming to the market this past Saturday, you’ll get another chance to help your neighbors in need. The Love Will Keep Us Warm charity drive will continue at the Franklin Farmers Market this upcoming Saturday, December 7th. Please clean out your closets and gather your gently-used blankets, coats and winter clothing to donate. Share the warmth.

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Jones Mill Farm fresh breads, jellies, jams and preserves

Saturday was a bright, sunny day which made it a great time to be at the market. There were a few farmers missing because of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, but overall there was a great selection of fresh food at the market. Lots of yummy winter veggies to snatch and absolutely delicious baked goods. Those huge muffins from Lucy’s Kitchen were going fast, along with BB’s Gourmet Pretzels which are perfect snacks for the weekend football games. The non-GMO popcorn from Gardner Grove Farms was also pretty popular. But there was none of the Norton Family Farm’s sweet treats or their famous tender lettuce and a lot of people were asking where they were. On the way to market early Saturday morning, Karen and Jim Norton had an unfortunate encounter with a deer. They’re both okay, but their vehicle was damaged, so they were unable to make it to the market. Don’t worry though lettuce lovers – they’ll be back this upcoming Saturday.

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Kirkwood Farm Turnip Greens

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Delvin Farms fresh picked Arugula

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Beautiful fresh radishes from Zadok the Natural Farmer

By the way, the forecast for next Saturday is calling for some possible snow flurry action. Maybe it’s because the big man with the white beard is going to be at the market. Santa Claus will be coming to see you and find out just what’s on your Christmas list. Bring the kids out to see Santa! Saturday is also our holiday market, with lots of unique, cool gifts available from local artisans.

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Miniatures by Philip carefully hand crafted

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Hand Made Jewelry by Baya Designs

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Hand Knitted Alpaca by Legacy Acres Alpaca Farms

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Beautiful hand made pottery from V’s Pottery

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Sensible holiday gifts hand made by Cody’s Woodwork

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Upcycled Accessories provides hand made winter garments

So get the kids ready for Santa and get your holiday shopping list together – We’ll see you at the market!

Click here to view pictures from this past Saturday’s Market!

What the Farmers Market has for your Thanksgiving Shopping List

Thanksgiving gives us the chance to eat ourselves silly, with a big spread of delicious food. So get ready to pig out! Make those yummy holiday recipes with healthy fresh produce, meats and dairy from the Franklin Farmers Market and you’ll feel a little less guilty about stuffing yourself this Thanksgiving.

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Triple L Ranch great tasting hen right out of the oven!

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Saturday will be a day of Families doing their Thanksgiving shopping

Here’s a handy shopping list of some of the goodies you’ll find from the farmers at the market this Saturday to create the best Thanksgiving dinner ever.

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  • Beets – delicious roasted with honey!
  • Broccoli – a broccoli casserole hits the spot.
  • Cabbage – try it grilled or sautéed
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower – pick up some fresh cheese and drizzle over the cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Chard
  • Chives
  • Greens – lots of winter greens available now
  • Leeks
  • Lettuce
  • Mushrooms
  • Onions
  • Potatoes – Got to have mashed potatoes with gravy
  • Radishes
  • Shallots
  • Squash/Pumpkins
  • Sweet Potatoes – sweet ‘tater casserole is a must!
  • Turnips
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Fresh Herbs and Lettuces from Rocky Glade Farm

Pick up fresh cheese at the market. Moonshadow Farm has delicious varieties of Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese and Noble Springs Dairy has fantastic goat cheese in different flavors. Hatcher Family Dairy Farm has the milk, cream and buttermilk you need for your recipes and the kids would love some Hatcher chocolate milk with Thanksgiving dinner.

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Farm Fresh Harvest from Pilgrims Produce

Don’t forget the eggs you need for special Thanksgiving desserts. Moonshadow Farm, River Cottage Farm, Gardners Grove and Triple L Ranch are just a few of the farms with fresh eggs at the market.

Who says you have to eat turkey on Thanksgiving? From chicken to beef or ham, you can find the meat you want at the market. Check out Triple L Ranch, Bear Creek Farm, West Wind Farm, Peaceful Pastures, River Cottage, Gardner Grove and Beaverdam Creek Farm for the cuts of meat you want. Johnson’s Honey Farm and Pilgrim’s Produce have the honey you need to spread on fresh rolls. And if you don’t feel like doing all the baking, you can pick up delicious breads, pastries, cakes and more at the market. Norton Family Farm, Lucy’s Kitchen and Jones Mill Farms have what you need. Jams, jellies and preserves can be found at the market too.

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Fresh Baked Breads from Flying S Farm

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Jams, Jellies and Preserves from Jones Mill Farm

So go ahead…. Eat it up! Happy Thanksgiving from the Franklin Farmers Market.

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Fresh Lettuces and root vegetables from Zadok the Natural Farmer

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Wonderful Thanksgiving fresh picked veggies from Paradise Produce

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Rocky Glade at your service!

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Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes and Honey from Pilgrims Produce

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Beaverdam Creek fresh Veggies

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Organic Fennel from Delvin Farms

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Watermelon Festival Brings Fun and Games for Kids!

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Teddy Pennington shows off his spitting skills.

One, two, three….spit! Who knew that spitting seeds could be an athletic event? That’s what happened at the Franklin Farmers Market this past Saturday at the 2nd annual Watermelon Festival.  Contestants lined up to show off their spitting ability with watermelon seeds and claim the coveted Seed-Spitting Championship title. The winner was Casey Walker, who put the kids to shame with her athletic spitting ability. However, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place contestants were winners too.

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The winners took home sweet  juicy watermelons

All of them went home with a delicious sweet watermelon. Watermelon was definitely the star of the market, with delicious watermelon slices to munch on while walking around the market.

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A big crowd at the Watermelon Festival!

As we’ve said before, it’s the high season at the market, with summer produce at its peak. Lots of people walking around with big bags filled with peppers and tomatoes; lettuce, potatoes, onions, corn, purple hull peas and much more.

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Tasty, ripe bell peppers at the market

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Sweet corn from the King Family Farm

And it was a record-setting hot August day for the Franklin Farmers Market too. Over 3,000 people came to the market’s Watermelon Festival! We are very grateful for your support of local farms and local food.

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Local artisan Tom The Furniture Guy shows his wares

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There is always music at the Franklin Farmers Market

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Munching on yummy treats from Ellie’s Doughnuts

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Watermelon seed bean bag toss at the festival

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How fast can you eat a watermelon slice without using your hands?

The highlight of the day though was the fastest watermelon eating contest. Contestants quickly munched and slurped down watermelon slices with their hands behind their back.

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Max wins the top prize

It was a very close call, but in the end, Max Atlas took home the championship along with his first place winnings – a big CSA box of produce from Delvin Farms, honey from Johnson’s Honey Farm, sweet preserves from the Norton Family Farm, chess pie from Geraldine’s Pies, fresh yummy doughnuts from Ellie’s Doughnuts, a bar of goat soap from Tottys Bend Goat Farm and of course, a delicious watermelon!

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First place winner Max and his brothers hold up the contest prizes

And if you were at the market for the watermelon festival, you may now be a star on the market website! Click here and check out the photos of market day fun in our photo gallery. Lots of photos snapped, lots of smiling faces. Proof that when all was said and done, it was a great day at the Franklin Farmers Market for everyone!

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Evie, a student at the Growing Kids Garden

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A juicy watermelon makes everyone smile!

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The Franklin Farmers Market Watermelon Festival is proudly sponsored by the Williamson Herald and Southern Exposure Magazine

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Picking out the perfect watermelon

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Slicing watermelon to munch at the market

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Juicy, slurping fun at the watermelon eating contest

Farmers Market Tomato Festival 2013 is this Saturday!

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The Totally Terrific Tomat-OH! Contest

Forget about having four seasons. There are really only two – tomato season and not tomato season. No other vegetable exemplifies summer like a ripe, juicy tomato fresh from the garden. From salads to sauces, tomatoes can be found in almost every meal. The lyrics of the “Homegrown Tomato” song by Guy Clark says it all: “You can eat ‘em with eggs, you can ‘em with gravy, you eat ‘em with beans, pinto or navy.” So it’s only appropriate that we salute summer’s most popular veggie with TomatoFest at the Franklin Farmers Market.  On Saturday, July 27th, we pay homage to the tomato and celebrate its delicious flavor and versatility.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomatoes

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Salad Tomatoes

Tomato Seeds

Seed Saving Demonstration

Amerigo-Logo-newsletterPresented by Amerigo, TomatoFest features cooking demonstrations with tomatoes from the market’s farmers, samples of both heirloom and a variety of popular tomatoes, a tomato seed–saving class and the ultimate title for tomato greatness with the Totally Terrific Tomat-Oh! contest. With all of their incredible pasta and Italian dishes, the chefs of Amerigo are experts at creating dishes featuring fresh tomatoes.

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Delvin Farm Organic Cherry Tomatoes

You’ll have the chance to watch and sample as Chef Stephen from the Cool Springs location of Amerigo prepares Panzanella Salad with heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella; fresh tomato Pomodoro Sauce over pasta and Tomato Jam served on crostini with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

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Multi-colored Heirloom Tomatoes

You can taste the goodness of both heirloom and wide variety of tomato favorites during our taste-test demos too. Or learn more about sustainable agriculture through the seed saving demonstration from Zadock, the Natural Farmer.

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Rocky Glade Farm Tomatoes

Pick up delicious tomato-based baked goods at the Franklin Farmers Market during TomatoFest, such as the Tomato Pie from Norton Family Farm. It’s the ultimate in yummy comfort food.

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Sweet Cherry Tomatoes from Norton Family Farm

Don’t miss out on the special TomatoFest salsa and chips either, prepared by Amerigo from  the fresh ingredients of Allenbrooke Farms. And of course, the farmers at the market have the fresh, truly ripe tomatoes you crave. It’s a tomato-lover’s heaven… TomatoFest at the Franklin Farmers Market!

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Jones Mill Farm specializes in Heirloom Tomatoes

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!