It’s officially June! And the market is full of fruits and veggies, showing us the coming of summer!

The month of June might be one of our favorites at the market. It’s hard to choose, every month is brings delicious surprises and there are plenty of year-round products to be build a full locally-sourced diet around. But the beginning of June holds that special time when it’s not quite so hot and humid, and yet late spring and early summer fruits and veggies abound. This week, we are excited to welcome blueberries and blackberries to market, while last season strawberries are still grace the tables. We also spotted sweet and hot peppers, yellow summer squash, green zucchini of multiple varieties, cherry and plumb tomatoes, while greens like kale, chard, fennel, green onions, and more spring produce are still here.

We hope you’ll join us to find some old and new favorites this season, and to find out just how many weekly staples can be found at market. Tempeh falafel balls; a variety of kimchi; flours, grits and cereals; ciders and natural wines; teas and medicinal tinctures; yogurt; soft and hard aged cheeses; locally and humanely raised meats and eggs; ready-to-eat meals, and the list goes on.

 

We’re grateful to be a part of the Durham community, every week. Thank you for shopping with us!

 

In case you missed it, check out this week’s recipe for Savory Stir Fried Garlic Scapes, in the Wednesday Newsletter!

Market Map, June 3rd

 

This Week

* Enjoy live music by the crowd pleasin’ Old North State Jam!

* The Poetry Fox is back with custom, live written poems

* Visit the folks of The Recollective at their community partner booth to find out more about their services for hard-to-recycle items. There are so many exciting reusable/sustainable initiatives to learn about!

* The Running of the Bulls 8k race is this weekend! Be sure to check out their website HERE to course maps and the best way to make it to market!

 

Upcoming Events

* Save the Date! 2nd Annual Durham Bee Day, Saturday June 24th

* National Pollinator Week, June 19th-25th

 

 

Want to find out what else your local farmers are bringing to the market this week? Check out this week’s Newsletter! https://conta.cc/42lLANY

 

When: Saturday, May 27th, 8am – 12pm
Where: The Pavilion at Durham Central Park / 501 Foster Street

Join us for the final market of May!

After this rainy week, we are ready for some sunshine! And good news, the forecast calls for a warm, sunny afternoon for Wednesday Afternoon Market at Durham Central Park tomorrow.

 

The Season for Garlic Scapes

Looking to expand your ingredients list and try out some new-to-you veggies this week? Check out our newsletter link at the bottom of this page to learn about this week’s highlight – Garlic Scapes! Tomorrow, you can find garlic scapes at a few different farmer booths. Matt from Wild Scallions Farm has a bountiful field of garlic scapes on the farm, and mentioned that these bright green beauties are a seasonal staple at his house. We chatted with him abut his favorite ways to prepare them and one of the tips he shared was to sauté / grill them up with soy sauce for a flavorful, savory side dish. We found a delicious recipe for stir fried garlic scapes, along with some extra info on this vegetable for those of us that are new to cooking with them. Check it out in this week’s newsletter. We hope you enjoy some experimenting of your own this week with your market haul!

 

Blueberries!

Last Wednesday, we saw our first blueberries of the season over at Lyon Farms! What a treat to have the last of the juicy, late-season strawberries still in harvest at the market, along with the first blueberries. We love berry season!

 

Bouquet Garni Foods is back!

Bouquet Garni is back at Wednesday Market this week and we hope you’ll take advantage of Chef Eric’s delicious juices, soups, and entrees to spice up your weekly meals. Busy week ahead? Bouquet Garni’s flavor-packed pasta salad, Senegalese Maffe with rice and plantain, and zesty tomato soup are great options for easy take-home meals that are locally-sourced and super tasty.

 

The Museum of Life + Science

The museum is back this week with another fun learning opportunity! Check out their activity from 3-5pm at their Sprouts Club booth and pop by the market info table after to receive your Sprouts Club Market Bucks!

 

These are just a few of the many reasons to make it out to the park tomorrow for your midweek shopping trip. See you there!

 

Want to find out what else is coming to the market this week? Check out this week’s Newsletter!  https://conta.cc/3oLW6jA

 

When: Wednesday, May 31st, 3pm – 6pm
Where: The Pavilion at Durham Central Park / 501 Foster Street

Memorial Day Weekend at the Market

 

This Memorial Day weekend, find flowers to honor your loved one, the perfect grillables for your get together, and all the best freshly harvested veggies to complete the fixins! Find us at Durham Central Park TOMORROW from 8am-12pm!

 

What’s Coming to Market This Week?

 

Looking for a delicious, plant-based option for your weekend grill out? By the Brook Tempeh is back at market this week with mouth-watering marinated tempeh burgers and vegan chorizo! Check out tasty menu of handcrafted ferments: soy-free tempeh, sauerkraut, and condiments like chili crisp and hot sauce. Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or a curious omnivore, come try the fantastic texture and versatile flavor of this affordable and well-balanced protein.

Wondering what fruits and veggies late May and the cusp of the summer season has in store for us? This week we spotted FRESH BLUEBERRIES at market, as well as the season’s first sweet and hot peppers, yellow summer squash, green beans, and cherry tomatoes! You might want to buy two pints of those ‘maters, because they are just that snackable. Check out farmers like Lyon Farms, Hua Nong Ecorganic Farm, Hurtgen Meadows, Wild Scallions Farm, South Wind Produce, Meadow Lane, Capritopia, Maple Springs Garden, Phoenix Farm, Lil’ Farm, Harland’s Creek Farm, Roberson Creek Farm, Red Hawk Farm, Flat River Farm, Piedmont Microgreens, and Ever Laughter Farm to see what seasonal treats they’re harvesting for your weekend get togethers.

Ready to start sourcing your meat from local, sustainable farms that humanely raise their animals with love and care? Check out these pasture-raised meat vendors: Stoney Mountain Farm, Fickle Creek Farm, Chapel Hill Creamery, and Meadow Lane Farm

Pop open something special with new releases every week from Botanist & Barrel and Honeygirl Meadery, coffee from Red Drum Roasters and cold pressed juice from Jewels of Health Farm!

Bonlee Grown Farm will be bringing geraniums (pictured) in both pots and hanging baskets, a beautiful gift to remember your loved one, They will also their famous Sweet Crunchy and Bread and Butter pickles for your cookout table. Catch both Bonlee and Hurtgen Meadows for some delicious pickles, jams, pepper jelly, and more.

 

Market Map, May 27

 

Want to find out what else your local farmers are bringing to the market this week? Check out this week’s Newsletter! https://conta.cc/3MUR1im

 

When: Saturday, May 27th, 8am – 12pm
Where: The Pavilion at Durham Central Park / 501 Foster Street

Come for  you weekly groceries, and find some new favorites!

Market is full of good things this week! Stop by for our cooking demonstration and recipe tastings, and stick around for all of the freshly harvested produce, pasture-raised meat, handcrafted meals, sweet treats, local beverages, and gifts your spring table could wish for.

 

Bonlee Grown Farm called this the sunsetting of the spring season, and we think that is the perfect way to describe the bounty brought to you by our farmers this week. On the cusp of warm summer, we have all the tender lettuces and spring favorites that make this season special, while welcoming new summer season items every week. Did you know you an already find vine-ripened tomatoes, yellow summer squash, and sugar-snap peas at your farmer’s table? While we eagerly await all that summer has in store for us, we are grateful for the spring harvest and celebrate all that our farmers and creators have delighted us with this month.

 

Expand your kitchen flavors with a few of these seasonal items:

By the Brook Tempeh has seasonal favorites like beet and peppercorn or turmeric and ginger sauerkraut, as well as their weekly special, pre-fried tempeh falafel balls, made with chickpea tempeh, garlic chives and green herbs and BBQ tempeh slabs by the pound.

This is the season for garlic scapes over at Wild Scallion Farm! they will also have peas, lettuce, scallions, and escarole this week!

 

This Week

* Cooking Demonstration: Looking for some inspiration for your next market-fresh meal?  Blackbird Cookbooks will visit the market this weekend with a tasting of their Tuscan-style vegetable soup, Ministrone di Verdura with Salsa Verde – so stop by, have a nibble, and say hello. We are really excited to say that over 90% of the ingredients for this recipe were sourced from market!

* Market Music: Welcome Blumora to their market debut! Blumora is a vocal duo performing folk, country, Americana, pop and bluegrass music in the Triangle

* Poetry: The Poetry Fox is back! Find him and his typewriter for a personalized, live-written poem

 

Want to find out what else your local farmers are bringing to the market this week? Check out this week’s Newsletter! https://conta.cc/45fmqmz

 

When: Saturday, May 20th, 8am – 12pm
Where: The Pavilion at Durham Central Park / 501 Foster Street

It’s time for your midweek shopping trip!

After last night’s rain showers, the sun is coming out. And so are we! Find us at Durham Central Park today from 3-6pm for a great display of pasture-raised meats, fresh harvested produce, bakery goods, coffee, flowers, vegan dishes, prepared meals-to-go, and more!

This Week

* The Museum of Life + Science is back this week from 3-5pm with activities at our Sprouts Club kids table!

* Bull City Farm is now bringing sausages to Wednesday Market! In addition to their variety of beef steaks, whole chickens, and pork, check out their Breakfast, Italian, and Chorizo turkey sausages. Find them tomorrow to see what else they’re bringing to your tables this week. (They’ve shared a recipe for homemade marshmallows, a tasty way to use up extra eggs and spice up your marshmallow desserts, be sure to check it out in this week’s newsletter!)

* We were so excited to welcome Seeds Durham to this season’s market and to meet the student growers and makers of the plants, produce, teas, and seed paper they had for sale last week! They’ll be back this week – stop by to say hi, learn more about Seeds, and pick up some plants!

* Our Strawberry Shindy celebration may be over (thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday, we had a lot of fun with you!) but we can continue to enjoy the goodness of strawberry season as long as they are on farmers’ tables. The season for this beautiful, juicy berry tends to come and go quick, so be sure to pick them up while you can!

* 321 Coffee brought some delicious mango tea to market last week, along with their nitro cold brew. We can’t wait to see what they have at the table this week. It should be a nice warm day and there is definitely a cold brew with our name on it!

* We had the chance to pick up some Tulip Poplar Honey from Shari Gant, and have been enjoying this golden, flavorful honey in our yogurt, teas, and coffees all week long. Do yourself and pick some up today! Next on our list is her luxurious looking honey lotion bars…

* Did you know? Soul Cocina is at Wednesday Market! They busted out their hot tamales last week and we couldn’t be happier. Grab a pack of papusas or an enchilada entree for the week’s lunches, and a hot tamale to enjoy in the park while you’re here!

* Every week, we enjoy the offerings of three local bakeries – Loaf, Ninth Street Bakery, and Strong Arm Baking. You can visit them for everything from baguettes to cookies, and ‘poptarts’ to pizza!

 

There is this and so much more to enjoy – we’ll see you tomorrow!

 

Newsletter Link: https://conta.cc/3By6rTi

 

When: Wednesday, May 17th, 3pm – 6pm
Where: The Pavilion at Durham Central Park / 501 Foster Street

Celebrate Moms, Grads, and Strawberry Shindy this week at market!

Y’all we cannot wait for tomorrow. In addition to celebrating the season’s favorite berry with the 1st annual DFM Strawberry Shindy, we also get to celebrate YOU! To all the moms, mom-figures, and nurturers out there, we are grateful for you and all you do! And to all you grads, we celebrate your achievements. You did it! We hope you’ll snag your friends and family, and start this weekend’s events off in style with a trip to the market. Because what shindy is complete without the people you love & really really good eats?

Find out what our farmers & creators are delighting us with this week, and learn more about what we have planned for our strawberry celebration in our newsletter!

 

Strawberry Spotlight

Here is a sneak peek at the fun strawberry specials our vendors are crafting up this week. You’re going to want to add these to your shopping list!

* Bklyn Bakery ~ Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

* Bonlee Grown Farm ~ Strawberry Bread & Strawberry and Strawberry-Fig Jams

* MoonDance Soaps ~ Strawberry Swirl Soap

* Celebrity Dairy ~ Strawberry Goat Cheese Spread

* Chocolatay Confections ~ Strawberry Sunflower Bonbons (2023 Good Food Award winning!)

* Flowering Earth Natives ~ Wild Strawberry Plants

* Honeygirl Meadery ~ Strawberry Elderflower Mead

* Hurtgen Meadows Farm ~ Fresh Strawberries & Strawberry Jam (2022 NC State Fair Award winning!)

* Isaac’s Bagels ~ Strawberry Cream Cheese

* Lil’ Farm ~ Fresh Strawberries!

* Lyon Farms ~ Fresh Strawberries!

* Meadow Lane Farm ~ Fresh Strawberries!

* Short Winter Soup ~ Strawberry Gazpacho

* Soul Cocina ~ Strawberry, Guava & Rose Water Cheezecake & Strawberry Guava Juice

* South Wind Produce ~ Fresh Strawberries!

* Strong Arm Baking ~ Strawberry Pop Tarts (plus find their delicious graham crackers in our strawberry graham cracker shortcake samples!)

 

This Week

* Strawberry Shindy: TOMORROW! Delicious vendor specials, strawberry shortcake, recipes, face painting, and strawberry themed games. Bring a beloved old t-shirt from home and make your own custom Strawberry Shindy reusable bag!

* The Carolina Theatre is back! Pop by their community partner booth to learn more about what they are up to this season!

* Market Music: Who’s up for a some dancing in the street? Old North State Jam is coming to start our celebration off right!

* Live Poetry: The Poetry Fox will be joining us to craft heartfelt, personalized poems! Swing by his booth for a sweet gift for your loved one!

 

Want to find out what else your local farmers are bringing to the market this week? Check out this week’s Newsletter! https://conta.cc/3BCz9m5

 

When: Saturday, May 13th, 8am – 12pm
Where: The Pavilion at Durham Central Park / 501 Foster Street

Wednesday Afternoon Market Line Up!

It’s going to be a gorgeous day! Looking for a little fun in the sun with your grad or mama? Join us today from 3-6pm and shop early for your weekend celebrations, while supporting local farmers and kicking it on the grass with a picnic and lawn games! Find out more about who is coming to market with good eats and groceries below and in our weekly newsletter!

 

Sprouts Club

This week, we’ll have not one but two fun kids activities to enjoy! The Museum of Life + Science is back from 3-5pm with Fizzy Sherbert – Bubble, Sizzle, and Pop! Make a delicious chemical reaction that you can enjoy! We are also starting our Strawberry Shindy celebration week early with a fun, hands-on experiment using strawberries, from 3-6pm! Learn how to extract DNA from a strawberry using a few household supplies!

Busy this Saturday? Shop early for Mothers Day and be celebration ready!

Celebrate mamas and all our nurturing ones with beautiful spring bouquets, and the freshest bounty from local, sustainable farms! Catch Wild Scallions Farm, Harland’s Creek Farm, and Hurtgen Meadows for wonderful arrangements of spring flowers while you pick up some of their tasty veggies. Hua Nong Ecorganic Farm and Lyon Farm will be here with an amazing variety of bok choy, sweet and tender Chinese zucchini, lettuce, watermelon radishes, strawberries, tomatoes, asparagus, and lots more.

321 Coffee

The folks at 321 Coffee had a great time at market last week and they’re coming back to share their brews this week! 321 Coffee will be a guest vendor this season at the Wednesday markets and will be bringing decaf coffee our afternoons have been craving, along with their other in-house roasted, ethically sourced coffees.

Pastured Meat & Eggs Available at Wednesday Market!

New this season, guest vendor Bull City Farm will be joining us every Wednesday bringing eggs, pasture-raised meat, and dog treats. Believe us, your pups will love them! And keep an eye out next week for a special, super easy marshmallow recipe Samantha will be sharing with us!

Tulip Poplar Honey

Looking for honey from local beehives? Help those spring allergies by picking up honey from Sheri Gant of Tulip Poplar Honey! Woman owned, tended, and harvested, Tulip Poplar Honey will be here every week to share the bounty of the beehives! Raw honey, candles, lotion bars, and more.

Bakery Delights

And, of course, we will have a scrumptious assortment of local bakeries – Loaf, Ninth Street Bakery, and Strong Arm Baking – here to fill your kitchen with artisan loaves, buns, granola, croissants, cookies, and even pizza.

Seeds Students Join Wednesday Market

Join us in welcoming Seeds students to market this week! They will have produce available they grew in their gardens!

Live Music

Enjoy Market Music by the one and only Stephan Hermann!

 

Upcoming Event: Strawberry Shindy

You won’t want to miss Saturday Market this week! We are celebrating all things strawberry season with shortcake tastings, vendor specials, photo booth, recipes, pin the strawberry, and make-own-your strawberry t-shirt bags! So bring a beloved old t-shirt & your appetites! May 13th 8am-12pm

 

Newsletter Link: https://conta.cc/42FlwxR

 

When: Wednesday, May 10th, 3pm – 6pm
Where: The Pavilion at Durham Central Park / 501 Foster Street

It’s May and the goodness is blooming!

Grab your shopping bags and join us for the first Saturday Market of May! Peek at this week’s Newsletter to find out what’s in season this month in our region, and learn more about the very freshest, locally grown and raised veggies, fruits, flowers, meat, eggs coming to your dinner table this week!

 

This Week

* Come enjoy Market Music by Triangle Sax Ensemble!

* Poet William Davis is back at market this week – come get a custom, live-written poem for you or a loved one!

 

Upcoming Events

* DFM Strawberry festival NEXT WEEK, Saturday May 13th! Join us for our annual Strawberry Shindy, and celebrate all things strawberries with a pie eating contest, custom strawberry Boomerang Bags (bring a t-shirt from home to make the bag out of!), face painting, tastings, and recipes!

 

Want to find out what else your local farmers are bringing to the market this week? Check out this week’s Newsletter! https://conta.cc/3LDUosb

 

When: Saturday, May 6th, 8am – 12pm
Where: The Pavilion at Durham Central Park / 501 Foster Street

It’s a beautiful day for an afternoon at the market!

Looking for a fun way to spend your afternoon? Come down to Durham Central Park from 3-6pm TODAY for fresh local foods, lawn games, kids activities, live music, and poetry. Bring the friends and family and hang out on the park lawn while enjoying social district brews and all your market goodies!

This week

Sneak a peek at the newsletter link below to find out which of your favorite vendors are coming to market, and what delicious, humanely and locally raised foods may be filling your shopping bag this week! Here are just a few highlights to whet your appetite:

 

Sprouts Club has returned!

That’s right, Kids Sprouts Club is back, and we’re loving it. Every week, we’ll have community partners from around the area leading us in fun and educational activities, and every kid who participates will receive Market Bucks to spend at tasty foods at market. THIS WEEK our friends at the Museum of Life + Science are joining us from 3-5pm to teach us about Plant Properties: Learn how plants like chamomile, ginger, garlic etc. could help you or a loved one feel better. Join us in making our own tea bags with various medicinal herbs! 

New Coffee Vendor!

Please join us in giving 321 Coffee a warm welcome to their very first DFM market! 321 Coffee will be a guest vendor this season at the Wednesday markets and will be bringing decaf coffee our afternoons have been craving, along with their other in-house roasted, ethically sourced coffees.

May Flowers (and gorgeous produce) are here!

Thanks to all our April rain, May is off to a beautiful start in the fruit, veggie, and flower department. Catch Wild Scallions Farm, Harland’s Creek Farm, and Hurtgen Meadows for wonderful arrangements of spring flowers while you pick up some of their tasty veggies. Hua Nong Ecorganic Farm and Lyon Farm will be here with an amazing variety of bok choy, sweet and tender Chinese zucchini, lettuce, watermelon radishes, strawberries, tomatoes, asparagus, and lots more.

Bull City Farm

New this season, guest vendor Bull City Farm will be joining us every Wednesday bringing eggs, pasture-raised meat, and dog treats (believe us, your pups will love them!).

Tulip Poplar Honey

We have honey, hun! Every week, guest vendor Tulip Poplar Honey will be here to share the bounty of their local beehives! Raw honey, candles, lotion bars, and more.

A match made in heaven

And, of course, we will have a scrumptious assortment of local bakeries – Loaf, Ninth Street Bakery, and Strong Arm Baking – here to fill your kitchen with artisan loaves, buns, granola, croissants, cookies, and even pizza. And you know what goes well with fresh baked bread? Locally crafted ciders from returning vendor Botanist & Barrel! They always have something fun to sample and take home and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us this season.

Live Music

Enjoy Market Music by local singer-songwriter, Remona Jeannine!

Poetry

William Davis and his beautiful poems are back! Be sure to come say hi and get a custom, live-written poem for you or someone you love while Will visits market this week.

 

See you there, friends!

 

Newsletter Link: https://conta.cc/3LRECvd

 

When: Wednesday, May 3rd, 3pm – 6pm
Where: The Pavilion at Durham Central Park / 501 Foster Street

Spend the beautiful last weekend of April with us!

We’ve seen it all this month, lots of warm sun, lots of rain to feed our plants and soils, and even a few nerve wracking thunderstorms and floods. As we wrap us this April together, we are grateful for a wonderful start to our Main Season Saturday and Wednesday hours and for all your patronage despite the April showers! We look forward to celebrating May flowers and all that our last full month of Spring has in store for us.

April Highlights

There was a whole bunch of goodness to celebrate this month! Here are just a few highlights:

* The beginning of Main Season! We celebrated the return of our 4 hour Saturday Market on April 1st, and the return of Wednesday Afternoon Markets on April 19th. We’ve had a great line up of new and returning vendors at both markets, and it’s been a joy to be back at it full time!

* The Piedmont Farm Tour was a success! It took place last weekend, and provided community members all across the region a chance to spend some time with many of our vendors out on their farms, learn about their farming techniques, and pick up some tasty meals and products. Thanks to all who joined!

* Kids Sprouts Club returned to Wednesday Market! After a couple years on hiatus, Sprouts Club is officially back at market, and it has been so fun to see how many kids have excitedly participated in our educational activities and enjoyed picking up their Market Bucks to spend on fresh, locally grown foods. Thanks to our generous community sponsors who help make this a possibility!

* Earth Month 2023 – we celebrated all month long with our friends at The ReCollective who brought new and exciting ways to recycle and go green every week.

* Fruits, veggies, and flowers galore! With the return of our beloved vendors who tend their farms during the winter market season, we have seen some of our favorite varieties of fruits and veggies pop back up at market for the season. Tomatoes, asparagus, strawberries, plant starts, and native bedding plants lead the charge, with more delicious goodies to follow as we gallop through spring toward summer.

 

This Week

* Enjoy Market Music by the toe-tappin’ bluegrass band, The Carolina Cutups!

* The Poetry Fox is back! Catch him and his typewriter for a personalized, live-written poem!

 

News & Events

*  Something for the Kids – Sprouts Club returns to Wednesday Afternoon Market! Find us every week from 3-6pm through Mid-October at Durham Central Park. Bring the kids for fun activities like plant starting, earth science projects, smoothie making, and more. PLUS, every Sprouts Club Kid who participates will receive Sprouts Club Bucks to spend on tasty foods at market.

 

Want to find out what else your local farmers are bringing to the market this week? Check out this week’s Newsletter! https://conta.cc/3Az6uO4

 

When: Saturday, April 29th, 8am – 12pm
Where: The Pavilion at Durham Central Park / 501 Foster Street