You better believe that when we were researching Nashville as a potential future home at the top of our pros list was this. The accessibility of fresh foods and produce. To know where our food is coming from and develop relationships with the talented individuals who make it happen. It’s something that had been stirring in our hearts for some time and moving here we knew it would be a huge blessing in our family’s life. Now? Almost six months of living here, Saturdays at Franklin’s Farmers Market is a tradition I look forward to all week. Every Saturday morning, Jarett and I wake up early, drive five minutes past Harlinsdale Farm to the Factory at Franklin to pick out our weekly produce and groceries. And it puts a smile on our faces every single time we get to do it.

While I have just recently really started sharing my heart with our wellness journey and changes we are making in our home, it has been taking place over a long period of time. And our dream of having our own land to grow our own food doesn’t seem as far away now that we are here. I love the inspiration I get every week being at the market. It fuels us to keep moving forward in all of the changes we are making and the dreaming we are doing.

Franklin’s Farmers Market is year-round so if you are ever visiting, make sure and take some time on Saturday morning to drop in. Not only are they packed with delicious homemade goods and beautiful fresh-off-the-farm produce, but they have food trucks, live entertainment, and even artisans and local makers with booths. There is so much to enjoy at this one market tucked away behind the factory.

When we first started going to the market every weekend, we started off trying different things. We would pick out something we thought looked good or grab a treat and just browse. I guess you can say we were getting our toes wet. There were some products that we would see and not even know what it is or what to make with it. We would listen to the farmers educate customers and help them with their picks. We loved just taking it all in, but still felt like outsiders in this new world available to us.

After the first month, then we really started to dive in. We made it a point to buy our fresh produce only on Saturdays at Franklin’s Farmers Market, never at the grocery store aside from the things you can’t get like bananas. We would shop seasonally based on what was available at the market and base all of our cooking around that. We love it. We also love finding other must-haves along the way. Like this homemade gluten-free sourdough bread? It’s a weekly staple now.

I have learned so much just from conversations with other local shoppers or the farmers themselves. I have learned how to keep lettuce crisp after bringing it home from the market as well as what to look for when picking out okra. It’s also where we first learned about elderberry syrup that our family now takes every single day for immune support.

Another place to add to your must-visit list while Franklin, Tennessee is Bloomsbury Farm. Everything they do is absolutely beautiful and their stand every Saturday morning puts a smile on my face. Not to mention, everyone in their operation is wonderful and so helpful and friendly. You can also drive out to visit their farm and pick out produce on Fridays. It’s a beautiful drive with the best scenery!

Hatcher Family Dairy is another must-have on our weekly visit to Franklin’s Farmers Market. It was amazing when we brought home a gallon of their 2% milk and had the kids compare the taste to the store-bought stuff. They said it was crazy how watered down the milk from the store is. Now, many of us in the house have let go of dairy completely in our diets for digestive reasons, but the kids that still drink it all decided that Hatcher is the only milk they want. I kind of like that.

And no one prepared me for how magical the market is in the fall season! There is such an ambiance to it. Flatbeds filled to the brim with pumpkins of all colors, large sunflowers and mums greet you at each booth. And I love all of the hearty vegetables we pick up to bring home and make meals that make for the perfect cozy evenings.

I will be sad when this season is over and all of the pumpkins are gone. It has been so fun to see so many varieties available here in Tennessee!

I’m currently reading a book from Michael Pollan called In Defense of Food. You can find it via my affiliate link on Amazon right here. It has been even more eye-opening on the subject of food and the crisis here in the United States but also solidifies where my heart has been pulled on the matter. The experience of living here now and being able to know where our food comes from makes me so grateful for the farms and those individuals who are working hard to make it happen. Their passion and love for what they do is incredibly inspiring and they are part of a movement happening. Where the farm-to-table lifestyle is one that so many of us want and need for our families, where things like fresh-farm foods are more readily available thanks to these fine and hard-working individuals. And that is something I am so incredibly grateful for.

Remember, if you ever find yourself on a Saturday at Franklin’s Farmers Market in good old Tennessee, be sure and say hi if you see me. I’m the one skipping down the aisles in a total state of bliss – wink!

Do you have access to farm fresh foods where you live?