Farmers Market Saturday: Bringing Summer Home from the Franklin Farmers Market
Welcome to Farmers Market Saturday:Tomatoes, Flowers & a Summer Dinner
Every Saturday, we bring home a little bit of Franklin.
Sometimes it's a basket overflowing with tomatoes.
Sometimes it's flowers that brighten the kitchen all week.
Sometimes it's simply whatever catches our eye and eventually becomes dinner.
This little series is my way of slowing down long enough to remember these Saturdays—the market mornings, the seasonal ingredients, and the simple meals we share around our table.
If you have a local farmers market where you live, I hope these stories inspire you to visit it often.
Welcome back to Farmers Market Saturday.
This Week at the Market
The weather couldn't have been more different from our first visit.
The skies threatened rain, the pavement was still wet, and everyone wandered from tent to tent with coffee in one hand and reusable bags in the other.
Even on rainy mornings, the Franklin Farmers Market has a way of feeling cheerful.
The colors seem brighter.
The conversations linger a little longer.
And somehow, we always come home with more than we planned.
The boys immediately spotted the flower stand.
While I was looking at tomatoes, they had already picked out a bouquet they thought should come home with us (alongside old-fashioned doughnuts...of course).
What Came Home This Week
This week's market haul looked a little different than last week's.
Our striped tote quickly filled with:
A bouquet of locally grown flowers
Heirloom tomatoes
Fresh sweet corn
Watermelon
Salad greens
Okra
Local steak and ground beef
Fresh homemade tortillas
Artisan bread
Sweet Tennessee peaches
One of my favorite things about shopping this way is that I rarely start with a menu.
Instead, the ingredients decide.
Around Our Table
I've realized that my favorite family memories rarely happen during vacations or holidays.
They happen on ordinary Saturdays.
Walking through the market together.
Watching the boys proudly carry flowers that are almost as tall as they are.
Coming home with dirt still clinging to fresh vegetables.
Standing around the kitchen deciding what dinner should become.
Those little moments don't seem remarkable while they're happening.
But they're exactly the ones I hope my boys remember someday.
That's really what this series is about.
Not just recipes.
But the life that happens around them.
This Week's Farmers Market Dinner
Everything we brought home naturally turned into one of our favorite meals of the summer.
The local steak barely needed anything beyond salt, pepper, and a hot grill.
While it rested, I blended together a bright homemade chimichurri with fresh parsley, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
On the side, we roasted fresh okra until the edges were crisp and caramelized (olive oil, salt, pepper, and an oven at 375 degrees).
Sweet corn went straight onto the grill in its husks before being brushed with butter.
The heirloom tomatoes became a simple caprese-style salad with fresh mozzarella, basil, flaky sea salt, olive oil, and a splash of balsamic.
And because watermelon practically belongs on every August table, we simply sliced it into wedges and carried it outside.
It wasn't fancy.
It wasn't complicated.
It simply tasted like summer.
This Week's Lunch
Those beautiful heirloom tomatoes didn't stop at dinner.
The next afternoon they became my favorite sandwich of the season.
Fresh tomatoes.
Creamy mayonnaise.
Salt and pepper.
Fresh basil.
Soft bread.
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones you make over and over again.
What's in Season Right Now in Middle Tennessee
For this week:
🍅 Heirloom tomatoes
🌽 Sweet corn
🍉 Watermelon
🍑 Peaches
🌱 Okra
🌿 Basil
🥬 Salad greens
💐 Fresh-cut flowers
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Franklin Farmers Market?
The Franklin Farmers Market is now located at the Franklin First United Methodist Church on Saturdays from 8 am - 12 pm.
What should I bring?
A reusable tote, cooler if you're buying meat or seafood, and plenty of room for unexpected finds.
Is it family-friendly?
Absolutely. It's one of our favorite Saturday morning traditions, with local food, flowers, music, and vendors that make exploring fun for kids.
From My Franklin Kitchen,
Alexis
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