nashville farmers market

the food scene in nashville has experienced a dramatic transformation in the last decade.  we have so many great independent restaurants, cafes, coffeehouses and markets to choose from.  there is still an abundance of chain restaurants that the locals can flock to in droves and indulge in gluttonous portions of mediocre food.  for those of us in search of something better, we also have many choices these days.  in all great "food" cities, there are farmers markets that reflect the diversity of their food scene.  when we moved here from san francisco 13 years ago, we visited the nashville farmers market and loved the fact that you could pick produce from the back of a pickup truck; produce that was fresh picked the day before and sold to you by the farmer.  unfortunately, local politics and gross mismanagement led to the near demise of the farmers market.  after a few years, management overhauls and an ongoing renovation of the facility, it is vastly improved.  most of what you see is locally grown, not necessarily by the vendor, but it is from the region and it is fresh and in season.  gone are the businesses that only resold what is generally available in any supermarket.  if you have visited local farmers markets lately, you know that you will find many things besides fresh produce.  many markets feature fresh seafood, meats and poultry, cheeses, breads and baked goods and so much more.  the nashville farmers market generally concentrates on produce but you will also find locally produced preserves and relishes, meats, baked goods,plants as well as fruit trees and shrubs and a small nursery. darry and i had the chance to take a trip to the farmers market today and this is what we saw.

a lovely display of fall gourds and squashes

since it is october, there were pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors

in the back side stalls there were giant pumpkins for sale

we aren't the only ones with tomatoes still on the vines.  there were tons of bradleys as well as these heirlooms.  pictured from the top left are green zebras, pineapples, cherokee purple and more pineapples.  we bought some green zebras and pineapples

it's not fall without fresh apples.  these are arkansas blacks.  we have an arkansas black tree out back but it is too small to produce yet.  these are the hardest and crunchiest apples with a sweet and tart flavor.  the south is not known for it's apples but the arkansas black is a native of the area.  most of the apples available today were from michigan and a few from south carolina

smileys of ridgetop, tn had bushels of fresh turnips and we picked up a few as well as a few cucumbers

they also had fresh eggplants, we admired these beauties.  they were firm and very fresh

this fresh picked cauliflower also on display in smiley's was almost as large as a basketball