Here are a couple of pictures from our haul at the farmers market downtown this Saturday: carrots, bell peppers, squash, various sorts of tomatoes, green and purple cabbage sprouts, onions and garlic, fingerling potatoes, rosemary and basil. Not pictured: different kinds of lettuces, tiny radishes, baby bok choy, peaches, blackberries. A colorful bouquet of flowers. It’s fun to make a meal or a part of a meal from local ingredients. I had made panna cotta last weekend — we normally don’t have dessert at home but we had some people over for dinner — and there was one ramekin left; the blackberries were divine with it. Last night I made a salad with the lettuces, the basil and some very thinly sliced carrots and radishes. Some tomatoes, blanched and peeled but not cooked, went into an incredibly fresh summer pasta.
The dynamic at the farmers market is interesting. Some of the sellers obviously cater to the foodie subset. Their produce is artistically arranged and packaged; they provide recipes and offer advice; their tables are decorated with flowers and herbs. Other vendors are just as obviously farmers. They put out their produce in piles and pyamids or arrange them in little baskets. No recipes, no advice, no flowers: just vegetables. And where the “foodies” may charge $3.50 to $5 for their products — pretty darned cheap anyway — the farmers change one and two dollars.
Food Finds
Responses to “The Farmers Market”
June 25th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
And, Jennifer, there is something to be said too for trip downtown on Saturday morning. There is a different feel from the work week or the nights. Quiet, relaxed and just a darn good way to start the weekend.
June 25th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Fredric:
Let us know what you do with the baby bok choy. I bought some at the farmers market, searched the Internet for recipes and end up never using it.
Seems like I saw one of the Food Network people cooking with it but I never could find a recipe.
June 25th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Hey, Chris, we tend to do bok choy one of two ways. Right now, since it’s grilling season, I like to cut them in half, douse them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and put them right on the grill over a moderate fire. It take just a few minutes to cook them and give them a nice char. (The leaves, of course, will char faster than the body, so you have to watch them.)
Otherwise, we saute them in a little olive oil with garlic, fresh ginger and maybe a little soy sauce or balsamic vinegar. A few red pepper flakes don’t hurt.
June 25th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Fredric, if you ever decide to get into another line of work, you can find a job taking pictures for a food magazine! These are just beautiful. I hadn’t thought about red cabbage sprouts, but I would love to try those. I was going to respond to Chris about grilling baby bok choy when I saw you had told him the same thing I would have. It always makes me happy to learn people are grilling fruits & vegetables because they are very tasty prepared that way. I remember buying some fresh peas from a nice farm lady on the Mid-American Mall, & she threw in a couple of hot peppers to cook with them. I still haven’t made it to the Farmers Market, mostly because it’s just too early for me. But keep talking & I’ll be down there before long.
June 25th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Carole H, my little camera and I thank you.
And you don’t have to get down to the market TOO early; we usually don’t make it until 9 or 9:30.
June 25th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
What about the Farmer’s Market at the Agricenter? Seems like it is now considered the poor step-sister to the downtown market.
I was at the Agricenter on Saturday and it was packed and there were dozens of vendors with the same offerings you mention above. Last summer, after reading all the hype, I went to the downtown farmers market and it appeared to me to only have about 1/3 the amount of produce I could find at the Agricenter.
Now don’t get me wrong - I am thrilled that there is a farmers market downtown. Clearly, downtown residents are in need of more options for food shopping. Several years ago when I was planning to move, one of the key reasons that I did not choose to move downtown was the lack of a major grocery store. But it seems like all the attention has been on the downtown market to the exclusion of other farmer’s market options around town.
June 25th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Here was my farmers market menu:
- roasted wax beans simply (salt and pepper only)
- baby zucchini genoese - stuffed with bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic, oregano
- fattoush salad with tomato, cucumber, onion, sweet pepper, and leftover pita
- brushetta with traditional tomato and garlic topping
June 26th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Hey, GP, I certainly hope that the market at the Agricenter isn’t considered the also-ran now. Surely it draws customers from all over East Memphis and Germantown and Cordova, not to mention places more far-flung. And, as you point out, it’s just bigger than the downtown farmer’s market. By the RR station there’s just not as much room and never will be, but it’s fun and I hope pretty essential for downtowners and midtowners.
“Eat” — that menu sounds fabulous. And healthy.
June 28th, 2007 at 8:00 am
I went to the Agricenter Farmer’s Market last week. I guess living out in the rural area spoils me, but I was not impressed with the Market at all. The only thing I thought was a good buy were the live plants and herbs.
The Farmers Market here in Jackson has a central area for locally produced farm products only. and an outer area away from the local produced area for the professional jobbers brining in outside -or- purchased to sell produce.
The Agricenter seemed more like businesses bringing in outside produce (purchased from a wholesaler) to sell to the unaware.
An even better Farmer’s Market is in Nashville. You can buy ANYTHING. One guy makes his own pasta, another makes Jamacain style food and jerk sauce. Then on the other side you have the picups and displays of real farmers selling. http://www.nashvillefarmersmarket.org/
The pick Tennessee web site has a list of Tennessee Farmer’s market
The Dyer County and the Weakley County are also very good markets, but depend on the local farms for supplies. Here are the places in west TN with markets:
CROCKETT COUNTY
Crockett Farmers Market at Maury City, F.M. Old Elementary School/ 356 College Street, Maury City, TN, 38050
DYER COUNTY
Dyersburg Food Fair, Farmers Market: (2 locations) Church Parking Lots, Dyersburg, TN, 38024
FAYETTE COUNTY
Fayette County Farmers’ Market, Mkt: parking lot across from the Methodist Church, Somerville, TN, 38068
HARDIN COUNTY
Hardin County Farmers Garden Trade Day, Farmers Market Address: Hardin County Fairgrounds, Savannah, TN, 38372
HENRY COUNTY
Henry County Farmers’ Market, Farmers Market Address: Henry County Fairgrounds, Paris, TN, 38242
MADISON COUNTY
West Tennessee Farmers’ Market, Farmers Market Address: 91 New Market Street, Jackson, TN, 38301
TIPTON COUNTY
MidSouth Farmers Market, Farmers Market: 190 Mill Road, Covington, TN, 38019
WEAKLEY COUNTY
Martin Area Food Fair, Farmers Market Address: Main Street in Martin, Martin, TN, 38237
June 28th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Lifelong Memphian here…..and excuse me for asking, but exactly where is the farmer’s market downtown and is it ONLY open on the week-ends?
June 28th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Gosh, Emily, is that ever a good question! The downtown farmer’s market is directly behind (west) of the Central Train Station at S. Main & G.E. Patterson (once Calhoun). There’s a parking lot and parking on the street. The market is open only on Saturday.
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