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If you think that all Athens is made of is Court Street and slumped student houses, you are sorely mistaken. Our campus is surrounded by seemingly-empty land; that land, however, is full of rich soil growing delicious vegetable, fruits and feeding free-range livestock. If you want to help support this invaluable side of Athens while filling your cabinets with healthy foods, visit the Athens Farmers Market, where many of these local farmers come to showcase the fruits of their labors.
tigersandstrawberries.com
The Farmers Market is held every Wednesday (from April until December) and Saturday (year-round) each week from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the old University Mall parking lot (located at 1000 East State Street) and is open to the entire community.
Audubon Magazine named it one of its “Cream of the Crop” of the nation’s farmer’s markets. With over 100 vendors, special events and the Market Cafe on Saturdays (where a not-for-profit organization hosts a kitchen where chefs can cook with the featured crops to sell) it’s not surprising that the Athens Farmers Market has gained a reputation for delicious foods and good people.
When I attended my first Farmers Market on September 12, I was astounded by the life that the market generated. Throughout the market, one can hear musicians playing at different sections, find home-made crafts and sample the delicious goods that are being offered. My particular favorite was one apple-grower who let me taste any apple I wanted, told me what type of foods would compliment each distinctive taste and what kind of bite each apple would deliver. He knew his stuff, and I walked away with half a peck of apples for $5. In case you don’t know your farmer’s measurements, that’s a lot of apples.
I walked in with only $10 cash and was able to buy the most delicious apples I had yet to taste, a home-made loaf of sweet onion corn bread, a few large sweet potatoes and was met with the wonderful hospitality of the generous and hard-working vendors.
Without even noticing, I had spend the whole three hours meandering around the market, meeting and greeting the large scope of people in attendance and taking in the sights of a community coming together to better each other. With my purchases, I was able to support my local farmers and they, in turn, gave me home-grown, healthy and, most importantly, delicious food. It was truly a blissful way to spend my Saturday morning.
