Market Square Farmers’ Market closes this Saturday; produce lovers look forward to spring!

Seasonal display in the bed of a pickup truck from Lakeview Farm in Grainger County

After this weekend, the farmers will pack up and head back to their farms until spring, leaving us city dwellers awaiting in cold anticipation the first tender lettuce leaves and asparagus shoots.

I never in a million suburb-dwelling years thought I would look forward every Saturday to going to a farmers’ market. But I have. There’s just something in the air. I think it’s pride and curiosity and just plain happiness.

The variety of the produce offered on Market Square by East Tennessee (and a few Kentucky) farmers has been unexpected. We never would have tried some of the greens and squashes and radishes and melons we’ve had this year if it had not been for the farmers’ market. In the grocery stores – even Earth Fare – you just don’t find the unique crops you find at this farmers’ market. And you certainly don’t get the chance to ask the farmer how to best prepare it. The market truly has been a blessing and a life-enhancer and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to go there almost every weekend.

We had out-of-town company this past weekend and I think they were puzzled by our insistence that we get up on Saturday and head to the Market Square Farmers’ Market. In fact, they opted to sleep in instead. But Alan and I happily left them a key to the house and headed downtown to make a day of it. (They joined us in the afternoon and had the nerve to complain about the market closing at 2!)

The market definitely has thinned out the past few weeks. But there are plenty of folks selling crafts and prepared food items. The farmers you will see this weekend likely will have greens, pumpkins and peppers. But it will be fun anyway.  Here’s what we saw last Saturday:

The folks at Happy Harvest Farm from New Market had three generations staffing their booth. They also brought along four of the prettiest chickens I’ve ever seen. They were delivering the chickens to someone who had purchased them, but until delivery time, the chickens attracted attention from passers-by as they pecked away in the booth.

Pretty chicken lays blue eggs

J.D. Dimick of Happy Harvest Farm has one of the best booths – and best personalities – at the Market Square Farmers’ Market. He carries naturally grown produce, free-range eggs and premium grass-fed lamb.

J.D. Dimick

I love the ladies who staff the big corner booth of Mountain Meadows Farm. They have a knack for arranging their wares in the most appealing way. One week they had a very unusual green bean. “What kind of bean is this?” I asked. “It’s the best kind you will ever put in your mouth!” was the reply. I had only one word for that: “Sold!”

Greens from Mountain Meadows Farm. Lots of greens are available right now.

Pumpkins for cooking or decorating at Mountain Meadows Farm

Two veggies in one: beets and beet greens from Mountain Meadows Farm

I really like it when there is music at the farmers’ market. This past Saturday with the weather being so stunningly beautiful, several groups claimed corners and performed.

The Old City Buskers performed for tips at Krutch Park

In the “you never know what you are going to find” department, is Rose Najar of Gourd Craft. I kept passing her booth, never thinking I really needed a gourd. But these bright red ones kept drawing my attention. They looked exactly like apples. Finally I had to ask her about them. Turns out they are called “red delicious” and they grow in the shape of big apples. She stains them after they are harvested.

Rose Najar and her "red delicious" gourds

I think they look great on the cocktail table in the living room of our downtown condo!