Celebrating 25+ years of National Farmers Market Week!
Tomatoes from Flat River Nursery
We’re celebrating National Farmers Market Week and North Carolina Farmers’ Market Week! For the last 26 years, we’ve celebrated farmers' markets at the peak of summer. This year, on August 3-9, join the Carrboro Farmers’ Market and markets across the state and country in celebration.
Farmers' markets have had a long-standing role in building healthy communities and prosperity for farmers and small businesses. In fact, the Carrboro Farmers’ Market started as a project under development by a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health, called the North Carolina Agricultural Marketing Project. The project’s goal was to provide an outlet for local farmers to sell their produce on a regular basis while providing townspeople greater access to high-quality fresh produce.
In addition, farmers' markets support North Carolina’s small and diversified farms, and circulate money back into our local economy. In North Carolina, farmers’ markets generate an estimated $78.7 million in sales for small businesses. An estimated 9,056 small businesses sell at farmers’ markets in our state.
Here’s some of the impact we’ve made in our community in 2024!
162,800 estimated visitors annually
25% of CFM farmers are beginning farmers
49% of CFM farmers are small farmers
2300+ acres of farmland preserved
19 average food miles per vendor
270+ jobs supported by the Market
$65,788 in Double Bucks redeemed at CFM in 2024
At CFM, we are proud to serve our community, support local farmers, and provide access to the highest quality fresh local food through programming, such as our Double Bucks food access program, Market Bunch kids’ activities, and special events.
Join us tomorrow in the National Farmers’ Market Week festivities!
We’ll be celebrating with…
"Mini Museum" of CFM history in the gazebo
Giant market-wide raffle to win a basket of goodies from CFM vendors and Visit NC Farms
Samples of melons grown by CFM farmers
Garden vegetable gazpacho samples from Claudia Sanders of Good Intentions Culinary Services
Photo booth painted by local artist Sarah Pritchard
RECIPES
You can celebrate Farmers’ Market Week at home by cooking with in-season produce, like peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, and more from your local farmers’ market! Check out some recipe ideas below from the CFM community:
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By Margaret Krome-Lukens
Ingredients:1 pint of "Fairy Tale" eggplants (10 to 12 fruits; or substitute with another variety)
4-6 large cloves of garlic, peeled
1/3 to ½ cup of olive oil
1 Small bunch of fresh parsley (about 1/3 or ½ cup of chopped fresh parsley leaves)
2 large zucchini or yellow squash
1-2 pints of cherry tomatoes
1-2 pints of small potatoes
3-4 medium onions
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Cut into thick (1/2 inch) coins, sprinkle with coarse salt and toss to mix. Set in a colander on a plate for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Discard brown liquid from the eggplant. Salting may not be necessary for smaller or younger eggplants but is definitely a good idea for older, larger fruits.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Crush or dice the garlic. Cover it in the olive oil, but keep enough olive oil aside to grease the baking pans. De-stem the parsley and chop the leaves into small pieces. Add the parsley to the garlic/oil mixture and let it sit while you chop the rest of the veggies.
Cut the zucchini or squash into half-inch coins. Slice at least some of the cherry tomatoes in half so that their juice can mix with the oil and the rest of the veget ables while roasting. Cut the potatoes into pieces slightly thinner than the eggplant and zucchini. Slice the onions into large chunks.
Combine everything into a large bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste and tossing so that all the vegetables get well covered in oil. Grease two baking sheets and divide the mixture between them.
Cook at 350 degrees, checking every 15 or 20 minutes to make sure the veggies aren’t sticking to the pan. When you can easily stick a fork in the potatoes, the rest of the vegetables should be done as well, though you can wait a few minutes longer if you want a softer roast. Cooking time is about 40-50 minutes. Enjoy!
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From the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture
Ingredients:1½ pounds Fingerling potatoes
Garlic Oil
Salt and pepper
1 ear corn, shaved, about 1 cup kernels
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced in ½-inch thick rings
2 or 3 jalapeno chilies (for the vinaigrette)
Jalapeño-Lime Vinaigrette
½ pint small cherry tomatoes, cut in half
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400º F. Prepare the grill. Toss the potatoes in a baking dish with 1½ tablespoons of Garlic Oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cover and roast until tender, about 30 minutes. While the potatoes are roasting, heat ½ tablespoon garlic oil in a small sauté pan. Add the corn, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Add a little water, lower the heat, cover the pan, and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
Brush the potatoes, onions, and chilies lightly with garlic oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half on the diagonal. Grill the potatoes until they’re evenly marked, 4 to 5 minutes. Grill the onions until softened, and evenly marked, about 3 minutes on each side. Grill the chilies until the skin is charred and blistered, about 2 minutes. Place the chilies in a covered bowl to steam for about 5 minutes.
Coarsely chop the onion and place in a large bowl with the potatoes, corn, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. Toss with the vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
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By Erin Jobe and Margaret Krome-Lukens
Ingredients:4 ripe peaches, washed and peeled
2 small cucumbers, washed
2 cups sungold tomatoes, washed
1-2 jalapeno peppers
Splash of lemon juice
(Optional cilantro, onion, sweet corn)
Directions:Dice peaches and cucumbers into small cubes. Wash Sungolds and cut each in half. Finely chop 1-2 jalapeño peppers, depending on how much spice you prefer.
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together. Add a splash of lemon juice. Enjoy with chips (or possibly as a topping for fish)! You could also add onion, fresh sweet corn or cilantro to the mix.
We hope you come out and join us to celebrate farmers’ markets all over the country, and try some of these recipes too!
