Photos and story by Allison Borrell / Contributing Writer
The Rutherford County Farmers Market is open for the summer season, providing the Murfreesboro community with fresh produce and local goods from the Middle Tennessee area.
While the Murfreesboro Saturday Market on the Square has been a well-known staple in the community, the Rutherford County Farmers’ Market provides the same warm and friendly atmosphere that attracts locals wanting to learn more about the benefits of supporting local farmers and promoting healthy eating.
Similarly to the Saturday Market, the Rutherford County Farmers’ Market features a wide variety of vendors eager to chat and educate Market attendees about their products.
Located at the Lane-Agri Park Community Center off of John R. Rice Boulevard., the Market began its 2017 season in May and will run through the end of October.
The Market is open every Tuesday and Friday from 7 a.m. to noon and features 30 to 40 vendors depending on the day, according to Market Attendant Heather Lambert.
Lambert said that Tuesdays tend to be the Market’s slower days, with Fridays bringing in more vendors and attendees.
She said the Rutherford County Farmers’ Market is the only 100 percent producer only market in the area, which assures customers that everything being offered is fresh and locally grown.
In addition to the vendors and their products, the Market also provides free educational classes that are taught by extension agents, certified master gardeners and special guests. The classes take place at 9 a.m. every Tuesday and Friday.
While fresh produce makes up most of the Market’s products, vendors selling meat, honey, breads and flowers are also featured.
Flower Vendor Andrew Moman of Twin Rose Farm in Murfreesboro specializes in offering fresh flower bouquets at the Market.
Moman, who is a first-year vendor at the Market, said he has been farming for nearly six years but has only recently started growing flowers for sale.
“We switched from vegetables to flowers this last year because we saw an opening in a different niche,” Moman said. “So we’ve been learning how to grow flowers more and more this year.”
Moman and his farm sell a variety of mixed bouquets including sunflowers, zinnias, celosia, gomphrena and more.
Other vendors at the Market include Nina Hanson of Hanson Farms in Milton and Darrell and Anacita Bussell of Anacita’s Produce in Bradyville.
Hanson is a longtime vendor at the Market whose specialty is offering goods such as fermented bread, honey and jams alongside her produce offerings.
Hanson prides herself and her farm’s efforts to grow pesticide-free produce for the Middle Tennessee area.
“We are no spray produce, and that’s not easy in Tennessee,” Hanson said. “But we’re committed to it.”
The Bussells, who are also longtime vendors, have been selling their produce since the Market opened its doors to the local community.
“(We’ve been a vendor at this market) since it opened,” Darrell said. “We sold over in the old market in Cannonsburgh before then.”
The Bussell’s produce can also be found at the Murfreesboro Saturday Market.
For more information on the Rutherford County Farmers’ Market, visit their Facebook page.
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