Pay a visit to the Market this weekend and see how good we look in red.

 

This Saturday, the 1st annual

Franklin Farmers Market Strawberry Festival gets underway. From sweet strawberry shortcakes to strawberry games for the kids, it's a day full of berry good fun for the whole family.

 

The kids will love the barnyard petting zoo and the free face painting at the festival, along with the strawberry bowling game and the strawberry bean bag toss. There's a special strawberry friendship bracelet booth too and best of all, the kids' activities are free. You can sit and listen to the great music of the Howling Brothers and North 40 while enjoying the real celeb of the festival... the Market's traditional

strawberry shortcake! For just $3, you can give your taste buds a treat they'll never forget. These traditional shortcakes are from the Norton Family Farm, covered with fresh strawberries from the Delvin Farms and topped with sweet whipped cream from the Hatcher Family Dairy. Proceeds from the shortcakes help cover the Market's operational expenses, so it's a sweet way to help keep the Franklin Farmers Market growing.

 

 

And if your favorite farmer's booth looks a little like a strawberry, don't worry. Farmers will be competing in two

different contests during the festival. The first one is for the strawberriest booth. The 2nd contest is a big one: Farmers can win this year's bragging rights for having the best strawberries at the market. Winners of the contests will be determined by a special panel of judges: Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson, Mary Pearce, Executive Director of the Heritage Foundation and food experts Andy Marshall of Puckett's Grocery and Jim Kreiden of Merridee's Breadbasket.

 

 

And even though strawberries are the stars of the day, as always, your favorite fresh food from local farms can be found at the market too!

 

Thanks to the festival's presenting sponsor, Amerigo Italian Restaurant for their support of the Franklin Farmers Market.

There's no doubt that the milk (especially the chocolate milk!) from the Hatcher Family Dairy is the best ever, but then that's to be expected. The Hatcher family has had a lot of practice taking care of their farm for more than 175 years, keeping their lands, crops and animals healthy and productive.

See for yourself on the Franklin Farmers Market Fields of Green Farm Tours. The Hatcher Family Dairy along with the Delvin Farm will be a part of the tour on May 20th. Join the tour and say hello to Pearl, LaLa, Emma and the rest of the "girls" who are milked everyday to provide the fresh dairy goods that you love from the Hatcher's farm. There are tours of some of the other farms at the market in May and June too. Get your tickets Saturday at the market info booth for just $10 per person or $30 per family. To find out more information on the farm tours, visit the market's website: www.franklinfarmersmarket.org

At the Market Crunchy carrots and spring greens, along with onions, radishes, goat cheese, and strawberries can be found at the market this Saturday. Don't forget the chicken, beef or pork for the grill and local honey for your biscuits. Fresh flowers for your home and yard are available too, along with veggie and herb plants and delicious baked goods such as rolls and sweet muffins. For your Kentucky Derby party, pick up some of Kenny's Farmhouse Cheeses at the Moonshadow Farm booth. And don't forget the strawberries!   A Sweet Treat of a Day

Can't you just taste it? Oh-so delicious strawberry shortcakes. It's the real deal... honest to goodness homemade shortcakes from the Norton Family Farm piled high with fresh strawberries from Delvin Farms and topped with Hatcher Family Dairy whipped cream. It's a sweet part of our Strawberry Festival, happening May 19th at the market. Bring out the kids for a day of strawberry fun. There's the barnyard petting zoo, face-painting and strawberry themed games, plus great music from the Howling Brothers and North 40.  And there will be plenty of fresh strawberries from your favorite farms to take home too. It's a real sweet treat of a day! The Franklin Farmers Market Strawberry Festival, May 19th. Presented by Amerigo Italian Restaurant.

You've gotten to know many of the farmers at the market. You buy fresh food from
them every week. But aren't you just a little curious about where the food you
buy really comes from? Here's your chance to find out:

The Franklin Farmers Market "Fields of Green" Farm Tours begin in May. The tours give you an up-close look at some of the farms at the market along with a greater understanding of how the food you eat is grown or raised. There
are three different tour dates: May 20th, May 27th and June 3rd. The farms that
you can visit on the tours include Delvin Farms, Hatcher Family Dairy Farm, Rocky
Glade Farm, Noble Springs Dairy and Triple L Ranch. Tickets are just $10 per person
and each tour includes a visit to two farms. Family discount tickets are available
for $30. Tickets for the "Fields of Green" Farm Tours can be purchased at the market's
info booth or to get more information,

click here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0010KGufdnioXmP4o_2CEucwyQCfB2DBncRVBhQvKl93oDfIyZVN8JM4KiE0KSibqyMzeLzRKxn1PyGcM8ZEfurBToWve4Zl-_RaWFMnNcNhlvbscsxDGQB8omwQhF8zY_BDcyUtpIHunrYTwD0j8H3Cz0CKzzlZJ-0].


Seeing Red

We're literally seeing red at the market because of all of the strawberries that
are ripe and ready to eat. There's just nothing like the taste of a juicy
strawberry. So we're going to celebrate the sweet treat on May 19th with our first
annual Strawberry Festival. It will be a berry good time for the whole family with
special strawberry games for the kids, the barnyard animal petting zoo, face painting
and the ultimate treat of strawberry deliciousness...

The market's homemade strawberry shortcakes! These are traditional shortcakes, smothered
with fresh sweet berries and topped with real whipped cream. Mmmm, sweet... Don't
miss it!

A Healthy Summer

You eat fresh food from local farms and that's a great start to living a healthy,
green life. But you can take it a step further by learning more about what affects
your body and benefits it too. It's not hard to do it. Join us on Monday, April
30th at the Franklin Family YMCA's annual Health and Wellness Fair.  Talk with professionals
in all areas of health. Watch fitness demos and learn more in seminars by health
experts. Stop by the Franklin Farmers Market display and register to win market
goodies. The Health and Wellness Fair is open from 9am - 1pm and again at 3pm -
7pm on Monday, April 30th. For more information, you can call 615-591-0322 or send
an email to [mailto:]

Growing BIG

The classes at the market's Growing Kids Educational Garden have grown so much that we've run out of room and
we are closing the registration for the May classes!

Don't worry: registrationf or June classes starts on May 14th.

There's some pretty exciting classes in June, so don't miss out! The June class
schedule will be released via the market newsletter and posted on the market's website
with registration forms to sign up your kids for classes on May 14th.

At the Market

Summer time means warm days and lots of sunshine. Bathing suit time starts soon,
but are you ready for it? If not, no worries. Just load up on fresh produce at
the market this Saturday. You can get started with a stop at the Beaverdam Creek
Farm booth. The farm's Salad CSA is a great way to begin eating healthy. Fresh
veggies and greens for yummy salads are both healthy and delicious. And although
Beaverdam Creek Farm is in the second week of their 6 week CSA, it's not too late
for you to sign up. You'll get a bargain too with a prorated fee. Eat healthy, feel
good and look fit and trim.

Speaking of warm weather, get the wardrobe ready with colorful tie-dyed tank tops
from Anne's Gifts. You'll also find lots of men's tie-dyed t-shirts too. Watch for
great tie-dyed tablecloths for summer picnics coming soon at the Anne's Gifts booth.

The Kentucky Derby and Mint Juleps. You can't think of one without the other. Since
1938, mint juleps have been a big part of the celebration of the race at Churchill
Downs. But you can enjoy the flavor of a mint julep without making the trip to the
Derby. Stop by the Tipsy Treats booth at the market on Saturday for a sample of
their new Mint Julep Cupcakes. It's the perfect way to celebrate the Kentucky Derby
and the Steeplechase. Tipsy Treats will be taking pre-orders for the mint julep
cupcakes. Place your order and enjoy them at your celebration of the Kentucky Derby
or the Iroquois Steeplechase!

Franklin, TN –The City of Franklin Parks Department is partnering with the Franklin Farmers Market Association to hold the very popular Tuesday Farmer’s Market at the Park at Harlinsdale Farm from 12-4pm every Tuesday beginning April 17th through the fall.

The Growing Kids Garden will be held in tandem to the Farmers Market for kids and families to learn about healthy eating, agriculture, and the roles local farmers play in food production.

The Growing Kids Garden program gives youth an appetizing and educational opportunity to learn more about where their food comes from, how to create a healthy diet, and how agriculture affects all forms of life. Classes are taught by local farmers and expert gardeners and include lesson topics like weird weeds, bees and bugs, natural fertilizers, and heroes of the garden. These free classes are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and designed for elementary school-aged children. Gardening will help get kids excited about eating the fruits and vegetables they actually grew, while working with local farmers and gardeners will create understanding in what role we all play in the economy, the environment, and the food chain. In addition, the Tuesday Market gives local farmers the opportunity to sell fresh, locally grown produce and to interact with growing experts.

For more information and to register for the Growing Kids Educational Garden program or the Franklin Farmers Market, contact the Franklin Farmers Market creative services director Lisa Tidwell at (931) 626-0211 or by email at .

Next week the Tuesday Market will open for the summer season, which is great because it gives you a chance to pick up the best in fresh food from our farmers during the week. But what's really special is where the market will be. We're going back to the farm. The Tuesday version
of the Franklin Farmers Market will take place in the Park at Harlinsdale Farm.
From noon - 4pm every Tuesday afternoon, our farmers will be at Harlinsdale with
fresh produce, fruits, dairy and meats. Fresh baked goods will also be available.
Farms and farmers are the perfect pair, so the Park at Harlinsdale Farm is a natural fit for the Tuesday Market. It's easy access right off Franklin Road and there's lots of parking. And there's another reason why the market being at Harlinsdale
is so special. The Growing Kids Educational Garden is in the Park at Harlinsdale
Farm too. With the Tuesday Market at Harlinsdale, kids in the garden program will
have a greater opportunity to learn from the farmers about gardening, the environment and how farming affects the lives of everyone. The kids will even have a chance to sell produce from their garden at the Tuesday Market this summer!

Join us next week (4/17th) from noon - 4pm Tuesday afternoon at the Park at Harlinsdale Farm. And mark your calendars for our grand opening celebration at Harlinsdale on
April 24th. Free flower seeds will be handed out while they last and you could win
tickets to our Fields of Green Farm Tours or market baskets.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Farmland is an underrated beauty that feeds us all..."Anonymous
How does food get from the farm to your dinner table? What goes on at a farm?  Find
out on the Fields of Green Farm Tour. This is your chance to get an up-close look
at some of your favorite farms. Pay a visit to the Hatcher Family Dairy Farm and
the Delvin Farms. Or take a tour of the Noble Springs Dairy Farm, Triple L Ranch
or Rocky Glade Farm. The Fields of Green Farm Tours take place on May 20th, May
27th and June 3rd. Tickets go on sale this Saturday at the Franklin Farmers Market
information booth. Get complete details on the Fields of Green Farm Tours by clicking
here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001-RDc9QciKOf3e2eKXHub7pQ5wO5gecpQOb29eWrY3Qtrd07dfdslFmJGaiMOkKfKH9TLEFGD-J5jipwu8sQscZdUWMMo_5ov-e86nWyCQQdM4asOaqCG73PU9q8FFsNtMMUV1qrBoOOAdv-fFo2wGKmBSLtkXkoV].


At the Market

The first lavender plants for the spring can be found at the Lavender Lady Plants
booth, along with lots of heirloom tomato plants, herbs and perennials. Ask Ginny
the Lavender Lady about the cherry tomato plants she has!

Healthy & delicious. That's a pretty good description of a salad and Beaverdam Creek
Farm has what you need to enjoy a good salad with their first ever Salad CSA. Get
a basket of freshly harvested greensand other salad goodies for six weeks in May
with the Salad CSA. Stop by the Beaverdam Creek Farm booth to find out more.

The baked goods from Jones Mill Farms go quickly and there's a good reason for that.
They are absolutely delicious! This Saturday, enjoy salt rising, sourdough or multi-grain
breads from Jones Mill Farms. Pick up some of their fresh beets, Siberian kale or
asparagus too.

Honey or Not.

When is honey not really honey? More than three-fourths of the honey sold in U.S.
grocery stores isn't exactly what the bees produce, according to testing done for
Food Safety News.

The test results show that the pollen frequently has been filtered out of products
that are labeled as "honey." Why is pollen filtered out of so many commercial brands
of honey? Food scientists and honey specialists say pollen is the only foolproof
fingerprint to tell where honey actually came from. The U.S. imported over 208
million pounds of honey over the past couple of years and with the ultra-filtering
processing, it's practically impossible to find out exactly where the honey comes
from. Ultra filtering is a high-tech procedure where honey is heated, sometimes
watered down and then forced at high pressure through extremely small filters to
remove pollen. Even the Food and Drug Administration says that any
product that's been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen isn't honey. If
the pollen is removed or moisture, corn syrup or sugar is added to the mix, it's
not considered to be honey.

If you want real honey, buy it from a local beekeeper. "Our honey does indeed contain
bee pollen. You lose the good stuff when it is filtered down," said Paula Morton
of Johnson's Honey Farm. Traditional straining of honey is used at Johnson's Honey
Farm to catch any bee parts, eggs, debris from hives or larvae, but the pollen remains
in the honey. Local honey is also thought to have medicinal properties and local
honey is exactly what you'll find at the Franklin Farmers Market. Pick up sweet
honey from Johnson's Honey Farm or from a number of other farms at the market,
including Delvin Farms and Gardner's Grove.

Eat real honey.

Your body will thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If we could find a little garden fairy, our wish list for the GrowingKids EducationalGarden
would not be a problem.
But even without some fairy dust, you can help make the wish list come true with a donation of items
needed for the garden. From mulch to wheelbarrows, your donation will help the garden
to grow for the kids. Find out more about the wish list and the Growing Kids Educational
Garden on the market's website:

www.franklinfarmersmarket.org [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109648330422&s=4752&e=001mbSVf6JmInuNMRCaPP8zt_D3sO4fJHxZgnjJFWXMUnHQTO0a6HzAgH2s1YR7fj_TtlaLyrLF0f30Mul2FOWPshcj87tbxjgZFYjW32ARCgnh0fChA2SisInQkix7mhWGAusSo8WZMlU0I7MKsUu0Ncasf1lPdiUP]

At the Market

The Easter bunny will be hopping down the trail next week. Now is the time to start
stocking up on what you want for the holiday dinner with family. River Cottage Farm
has lamb for a delicious Easter meal. Whole lambs and cuts are available, including
both short and frenched cuts. If lamb is not what you want, pick up some of River
Cottage Farm's tender beef. Plus, the Araucana chickens at the farm are laying now
and that means there will be a limited number of blue eggs available for your Easter
baskets!

Tender asparagus can be found at the Jones Mill Farms booth, along with salt-rising
bread, sourdough breads and fresh sauerkraut. And if you head to market without
eating breakfast, then you can enjoy some of Judy's delicious dinner rolls, served
hot with Triple L Ranch and Gardner Grove gourmet sausage at the Jones Mill Farms
booth.

Earth Advocates Research Farm is back this week with beautiful edible landscaping
plants. And make a note to yourself about next week ( April 7th ) , when Adam Turtle
of Earth Advocates Research Farm brings his grindstone to market. It's the perfect
opportunity to get your knives sharpened and ready for carving your Easter ham or
lamb.

MoonShadow Farm will be at the market this Saturday, with farm fresh pastured eggs.
What's really special is that MoonShadow Farm eggs are never over 6 days old...
truly fresh! You'll also find several new varieties of Kenny's Farmhouse Cheeses
at the MoonShadow Farm booth, perfect for omelets and other delicious recipes.

Fresh greens are the thing from the Norton Family Farm. Besides Karen's delicious
baked goods and jams, you'll find tender spinach, mixed lettuces and arugula at
the Norton Family Farm booth, along with a traditional southern favorite... turnip
greens!

And get ready to spring into summer, with brightly colored unique tie-dyed tanks
and t-shirts from Anne's Gifts. You'll find great colors to wear and this year,
Anne's Gifts has men's tanks too. Just look for the bright colorful booth at the
market and stock up on summer fashions.

Be a part of the market. Volunteer!

Find out more on our website:

www.franklinfarmersmarket.org [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109648330422&s=4752&e=001mbSVf6JmInvJRKvootjvVbS_04wKsckDRCQqt8np-m_G1TRj3pbnWP-EfMj4W_sDfFCsVFNlsOqyjehV9VkMh3_uX8bg4AkSgFjKi

Where does the food at your favorite restaurant come from? Surprisingly, it could
be from one of the farms at the market. All across the country, chefs are becoming
innovators in the food industry by preparing creative meals prepared with  fresh
food from local farms.

Why are chefs turning to ingredients from local farms? "I like to use as much local
produce and as many local vendors as possible," said Chef Stephen Ward of Amerigo
Italian Restaurant. "Not only is the quality and freshness enhanced when you include
local products, butit gives you an added benefit of being connected to the community.
We have seen this with our participation in the Franklin Farmers Market. We get
really good products that we use in our Market dinners and it has given us an identity
within the community as supporters of local producers."

Find out first hand how local fresh food can make a meal extra special. Starting
on Wednesday, April 4th you can enjoy a farm fresh lunch at Amerigo. On Farmers
Market Wednesdays through out the summer, Chef Stephen will create a different
lunch dish prepared with fresh produce, meats and dairy from the farms at the market.
Remember, whether eating out or at home, it's not just about filling up your belly.
Think about the food you're eating and where it came from.

Eat local!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do your kids know the difference between good bugs and bad bugs? Or why worms that
squirm are gardenheros? They can find out at the Growing Kids Educational Gardenthis
summer. It's a great way for your child to learn more about the food they eat, farming
and the environment. Classes are free and registration for the April and May classes
is going on now. Go to www.franklinfarmersmarket.org [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109587466479&s=4752&e=001BC8xleU1dGBYFHU7a32Yqd2VfPUSKS508s8h8u_sJ71dVU0Lzm8z8PJrGHD83KqGgUHiyMOJ5yHTPqVbACbWL6GUzE3hkgwnLKv3iu75WBPlb371QLxPP2MK9UNK5YepWHsa-VqrSfpumh09ByqoZuiC18nY-9M6]for
more details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our thanks to the 2012 supporters of the

Franklin Farmers Market & The Growing Kids

Educational Garden:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is Your Green Thumb Itching?

The warm weather and blooming flowers have everyone anxious to get out and create
beautiful landscapes or kitchengardens. At the market, you'll find a good selection
of plants, flowers and herbs grown by our farmers to take home and start your gardens.
Blooming Basketshas goodies such as herbs, pansies, candytuft, lavender, while Kirkview
Farmhas beautiful bedding plants for your garden. Earth Advocates Farmhas "edible"
landscaping plants, including blueberry bushes and fig trees. And mark your calendar
for the 1st Saturday in April to pick up tomato, pepper and other veggie plants
from Purple Tree Farms. Just remember though - the warm temperatures we have now
DO NOT mean that the weather won't turn cold again. The average last frost in in
Middle Tennessee is APRIL 15!

If you're looking to get yourself ready for swimsuit season, start eating tasty
salads. You'll find beautiful fresh spinach and mixed salad greens from Norton Family
Farm this Saturday.

And stop by Tottys Bend Farm booth to get your FREE sample of goat milk laundry
powder this Saturday only. One tablespoon is all it takes to clean everything from
dedicates to denim and you can use it in HE and front

loader washers too. Get your free sample from Totty's Bend this Saturday!

Be a part of the market. Volunteer!

The warm winter weather in Middle Tennessee has kicked everything into high gear,
including the bugs in our yards.

Normally, hibernation for bugs last longer due to chilly temperatures. But with a not-so-cold winter, many have come out of hibernation early. And with the temps in the 80's now, you can expect to see more them out looking for a meal.

Ants, wasps and ticks are all making their presence known, but then so are some of the good insects that are great in gardens, such as ladybugs. And one very important insect is also buzzing around now.

Bees are out and about and while you may not like having them flying around your yard, there are good reasons why you don't want to swat them. Bees that are buzzing the flowers are usually too busy searching for pollen and nectar to be bothered by you.

But aggravating a bee by swatting at them could get you stung in a hurry.

And if you suffer from allergies from the high pollen count of spring, bees can provide a sweet remedy for you. Honey from local bees can help fight allergies. Pick some up from Johnson's Honey Farm at the market this Saturday.

But the most important thing to remember about bees is that they are crucial for the pollination of flowering plants. That includes many of the fruits and vegetables we eat as well as the flowers blooming in our gardens. About 75% of all plants and crops rely on bee pollination for a strong harvest. So no swatting. Just sit back, enjoy the warm days of spring and say thanksto the bees for the food you eat!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By popular demand, Amerigo Italian Restaurant at Cool Springs has added a second
night for Chef Stephen's wine-pairing dinner! The March 27th dinneris sold out,
but reservations are now being accepted for Monday, March 26th at 6:30pm. This
five course meal is created with the freshest ingredients from our farmers! Don't
hesitate: These special dinners sell out very quickly, so call and make your reservation
today:
615-377-7070
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the Market

Spring fever means working the yard. Get the plants you want for landscaping and
your garden at the market this Saturday. Once again, Blooming Baskets will have
a beautiful selection ofspring flowers, herbs and handmade grapevine wreaths for
you, plus baskets for Easter! All from the Fly Family Farm of Williamson County.

Earth Advocates Research Farm is back with the trees and shrubs you want to make
your yard beautiful. How about landscaping that's beautiful and edible? Talk to
Adam and Sue of Earth Advocates Research Farm and find out more about how to have
a beautiful and tasty landscape at your home!

Register now for April and May classes at the Growing Kids Educational Garden! Classes
are free and are a great way for your child to learn more about the food they eat,
farming and the environment. To get details and register for classes, go to the
market's website:

www.franklinfarmersmarket.org [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109537758275&s=4752&e=001990tgctVvYjiSLtfxAosyS8xf2aUE6saA_F4_Yqsc63iaz82Ftt9FkIuLaTLovNpKqlRpBhP-s6crN-ZfIP-TYS9jJy9lqK3V_GZHikQRu9K7pcxsx1Q6QO-yxqqgYucCvXqef-eWazYcOex4EnKBvAGduye4vF_]

How can cow manure make vegetables bigger and better? Why are some bugs good bugs
and some bugs bad bugs? How do itty-bitty tiny seeds become big plants? If you ask
most kids these questions, chances are they won't know the answers. But we're out
to change that.

The Growing Kids Educational Garden was created last year by the Franklin Farmers
Market to give kids an "edible education" about where their food comes from and
the eco-friendly role that gardens can play in the environment. Thanks to the City
of Franklin Parks, we planted the garden in the Park at Harlinsdale Farm. With such
lessons as to why squiggly worms are important or what makes dirt good for growing,
kids in the garden classes found out first hand about the role that nature plays
in getting food on the dinner table.

It's time now to start growing again. Classes are scheduled to begin mid-April and
this year, the kids garden is growing in more ways than one. More classes and activities
are scheduled this summer. Your kids can find out such things as why toadsare garden
heroes; what it takes to get a gigantic sunflower from a little seed or how good
tomatoes just picked can taste. And best part? Your kids can learn all of this
for free. There's no charge for the classes, thanks in part to donations from garden
sponsors like Tractor Supply Company. "Tractor Supply is excited to once again partner
with The Franklin

Planting corn in last year's garden.

Farmers Market Growing Kids Educational Garden Program," said TSC spokesperson Jessica
Holmes. "This program is a great opportunity to support local education with families
and support sustainable agriculture in our community."

This is also the 2nd year of valuable support for the garden from Whole Foods Market
in Cool

Harvesting pumpkins and making friends in the Growing Kids Educational Garden.

Springs. This year, Whole Foods has donated a very large supply of organic vegetable,
herb and flower seeds for the kids to plant. Organic gardening methods are used
in the Growing Kids Educational Garden and with the generous donation from Whole
Foods Market, the kids will have the chance to grow a wider variety of vegetables
and garden goodies.

Class schedules for the Growing Kids Educational Garden will be released next Thursday.
Registration for classes will also begin. Schedules and class info will be posted
on the Franklin Farmers Market website and in this newsletter next week. Volunteers
are also needed to help with the garden project. For more info, send an email to
.

Let's get down to the root of the matter:

 

 When it comes to nutrients, root vegetables are at the top of the list.

 

 All of the root veggies, such as carrots, beets, turnips and radishes that you see at the Franklin Farmers Market are a great choice for boosting your health.

Eating root vegetables that contain high levels of the nutrient alpha-carotene may significantly lower your risk of death from heart disease, cancer and other diseases, according to a 2011 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Root veggies are also a good bargain and are great to eat in a number of different ways. Eat them raw in salads, cook and mash them like potatoes or use them in hundreds of different tasty recipes.

 

Soon there will be lots of root veggies coming into season and your favorite farmers at the market will have what you need for a healthy delicious meal. How do you pick out the best of the best when selecting  root vegetables? Find out what to look for on the market website: www.franklinfarmersmarket.org

 

This Saturday, pick up some French breakfast red radishes, red turnips and rutabagas, all grown with organic methods at the  Gardner Grove farm. You'll also find delicious spinach, heirloom pork and raw local honey from Gardner Grove too. Rocky Glade Farm has lots of delicious crisp greens, including mixed heads of lettuce, spinach, green baby bok choi, red butterhead lettuce, swiss chard and

kale. Rocky Glade Farm also has fresh purple top turnips too.

 And take advantage of the warmer days. Head for the patio and grill out a tender steak or lamb chop from Beaverdam Creek Farm. Pre-order now to pick up at the market on Saturday. Email your order: " target="_blank" style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">