The Franklin Farmers Market is open year-round with seasonal produce and fruits. Take home fresh baked breads and dairy goods. Delicious tender beef, chicken or pork for dinner would be good too. We’ve always got the best in fresh food for you every week at the Franklin Farmers Market!
Say Cheese!
“What a friend we have in cheeses! For no food more subtly pleases.” – author William Cole
Cheese is one of the world’s favorite foods. There’s even a National Cheese Lovers Day. Whether you munch it with crackers or savor it in a delicious recipe, cheese adds a tasty twist to any dish. One reason that cheese is so popular is the wide variety available to choose from. Hundreds of types of cheese are produced. The style, texture and flavor of cheese depends on several things, including the origin of the milk, the animal’s diet, the butterfat content and aging. While cheese from cows milk is the most common, the milk of several other animals is also used to make cheese. Milk from goats, sheep, buffalo and even camels are used to make cheese.
Goat cheese is popular with many people because of its health benefits, versatility and great taste. Just ask anyone who buys goat cheese at the market from Noble Springs Dairy Farm. Not only does goat cheese have less calories and fat, it also has a high amount of calcium and other nutrients, such as vitamin A and vitamin B-6.
Goat cheese is versatile too. Add fresh herbs to soft goat cheese or use it on bread instead of butter. It’s also delicious in salads and on pizza. Try tossing it into a pasta dish or using it in place of mayo on a sandwich. Spread it on whole grain crackers or use it in lasagna. It also makes a delicious addition to mashed potatoes. And try out our recipe for Tuscan Chevre Salad. You’ll find it in our Favorite Recipes.
Be a Part of the Market: Volunteer!
When the market began 10 years ago, there were just 8 farms that were a part of it. Now over the course of the year, over 70 farms take part in the Franklin Farmers
Market. As the market keeps growing, so does our need for volunteers. From public relations, special events, office work and educational projects, we need you to help make 2012 a great year at the market. Click here for the volunteer application.
Growing to Learn. Learning to Grow.
2011 was the first year for the market’s Growing Kids Educational Garden and it was a good one. Through our partnership with the City of Franklin Parks, we were able to open the garden on the grounds of the Park at Harlinsdale Farm. Over the summer and into the fall, the kids in the classes at the garden learned about the many things that affect a growing garden. Lessons ranged from planting seeds to learning about bees; getting up close with wiggly worms and learning why manure
can be a good thing. Taking home fresh veggies from their garden and having a day to sell at the Franklin Farmers Market were also part of their lessons. Take a look at the photos from the garden in the Growing Kids Educational Garden section. The garden project was awarded a four star rating from the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association. Congratulations and thank you to the Tennessee Farm Bureau and all of the sponsors of the garden for their support! We’re now planning the lessons and deciding what will be planted in the kids garden for 2012. More info will be released in March via the market newsletters and website. Classes at the Growing Kids Educational Garden will begin in April.
How Now, Dairy Cow!
Say thanks to your favorite dairy cow. “Thank a Cow” week takes place in January. Why say thanks to a cow? Find out on our Beanstalks Kids page!
Cold Weather? No Problem.
Does the market closes down for the winter? Nope. The Franklin Farmers Market is a year-round market. Because you’re getting food from local farms, the vegetables and fruits you buy at the market are seasonal. Of course, there’s a large variety of veggies that like to grow in the warm days of summer. But there’s also quite a few that prefer cool weather. When you visit the Franklin Farmers Market during the winter, you’ll find greens such as arugula, spinach, collards and lettuce. Winter squash and apples are available now. Root crops, like carrots, beets, onions and radishes grow well in cooler weather. Broccoli and cabbage do too. The best part is that all of these cool weather vegetables actually have a better flavor and texture than if they were grown during the summer. More and more farmers are now using hoop houses to help extend the growing season on some vegetables and get an early start on others so that you can eat a good variety of locally grown veggies year round. To get a better idea of what’s growing at anytime during the year, check out
a seasonality chart. Local Table has a good one that will give you lots of info on when your favorite veggies, fruits and herbs will be at the Franklin Farmers Market. Click here to check it out. And remember, no matter what veggies are in season, you can always get the best in beef, pork and chicken at the market year-round too, along with dairy goods from both cows and goats. Fresh eggs are also available year round. The only real change for the winter market is the time it opens and closes. Winter market hours are 9am – noon and the winter market runs November through April.
Eggs-cellent
Several of the farms at the market have free-range or pastured eggs for you each Saturday. But what does that mean? While “pastured” can be used to describe any animal raised for meat or eggs, it is most often used to describe poultry and eggs from chickens who have been raised the way you might imagine a chicken would
want to live: they walk around in open fields and woods, foraging for food primarily seeds and insects and going back into a hen house at night to roost, nest, and lay eggs. Since they aren’t crowded together in unhealthy conditions, pastured animals don’t tend to receive unnecessary antibiotics or hormones.
An egg has a high nutrient density because it provides a wide range of nutrients in proportion to its calorie count of about 70 calories per large egg. Nutrient-dense foods help you get the nutrients you need without excess calories. The egg’s protein is the highest quality protein of any food. One egg of any size equals one ounce of lean meat, poultry, fish or seafood in the food groups. So pick up a dozen of fresh eggs from the market this Saturday and enjoy!
Questions, Suggestions or Comments?
Tell us what you think about the Franklin Farmers Market or sign up for the Farm Fresh newsletter or the Beanstalks newsletter for kids. Just click the on the Market mailbox or the Contact Us button and talk to us.
Thanks to the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program for supporting the creation of the market website.
