Tag Archives: West Wind Farm

Market Customers Taste Local Farm Meats

Warm sunshine with sizzling local farm meats on the grill – it was the perfect combo for the official last weekend of summer at the Franklin Farmers Market. Grill Day at the FFM this past Saturday was a delicious way to bid summer goodbye, with a variety of local meats to sample and enjoy from our local meat farmers. The expertise of Chef Michael Martin of Whole Foods made everything extra tasty. Our friends at the Hearth and Grill Shop provided the Big Green Egg and Fire Magic Gas Grill to grill the local farm meats to perfection.

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Friends from Whole Foods

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Over 50 pounds of grilled meats

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Chef Michael

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Friends from Hearth & Grill Shop

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Veggies on a Fire Magic grill

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Grill Day

Everyone loved the tasty samples of beef, lamb, chicken and sausage from Bear Creek Farm, Peaceful Pastures, West Wind Farm, Triple L Ranch, River Cottage Farm and Hatcher Dairy Farm. Again, it was the absolute perfect way to say goodbye to summer and hello to football tailgating season!

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Grilled to perfection by Chef Michael

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Grilled local beef on a Big Green Egg

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Summer veggies still in market

Fall officially starts on Tuesday and there’s been a lot of people asking when the FFM will shut down for the year. The answer is we don’t – the Franklin Farmers Market is a year-round market. Our local farmers keep growing and while the variety of farm grown vegetables changes with the season, you can still enjoy the best of fresh food from local farms all throughout the winter. Plus with the cooler weather of fall, comes a whole lot of fun events and activities. Find out what’s coming up at the Franklin Farmers Market by taking a look at our Events page.

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Colorful Peppers from Bloomsbury Farm

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Sweet Cherry Tomatoes

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Fresh Basil

All of the colorful veggies and smiling faces at the FFM each Saturday make for some great photos. You should see the ones taken during Grill Day! Visit the market’s photo gallery to see what and who we snapped photos of this past Saturday.

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Pumpkin Roll from Norton Family Farm

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Collard and Turnip Greens

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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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.