Inside the Loop

Perspectives on food, travel & the miscellaneous

July 16, 2006

Memphis Farmers Market

Saturday morning/afternoon was spent at the new farmers market in downtown Memphis. If you like fresh vegetables, flowers, fruit, and other odds & ends, head to the South Main area to Central Station. You will find local purveyors selling their food out of their trucks & cars.

There is a bit of a strategy to this form of shopping: if you go early in the day, you get a better selection of product because the crowds have not passed through; but if you come later in the day, you can bargain a bit more. For example, I arrived an hour prior to closing. For $10 I got a pound of cherry tomatoes, a box of fresh arugula, three HUGE sunflowers, three cucumbers, & a bunch of bright orange zinnias. If the same items were purchased at our fine local grocery stores, the quality (& availability) would not come close.

So, next weekend I recommend getting up a little early, grab some coffee or morning bev of choice, and make the drive downtown. Its worth it.