UPDATED: Suwanee Farmers Market Begins Tuesday

Seating areas have been added for the event in 2012.

Updated May 1 The popular Suwanee Farmers Market will open Tuesday, May 1, with a new touch. Seating areas with chairs and tables for patrons have been added to Town Center Park in the farmers market area. This should add to the community appeal of the regular gathering of vendors and visitors. The market will meet on Tuesdays (4-7 p.m.) and Saturdays (8 a.m.-noon) through Aug. 7, and Saturdays only through Oct. 6, except on Sept. 15 (Suwanee Day). — What are your Suwanee Farmers Market memories? Tell us in comments below. About 20-25 vendors will be at each market offering fresh, in-season produce, salsa, jellies, sauces, bread, eggs, meat, baked goods, and other natural products. "It's so nice to shake hands with the folks who grow your …

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Steve Burns

8:04 pm on Tuesday, May 1, 2012

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Suwanee Scene

Suwanee Farmers Market Bids Farewell for 2011

The last session of the year will be held Saturday. We take a look back.

It began in May, continued through the searing summer heat, and was extended by two weeks in October. The Suwanee Farmers Market had another memorable run in 2011. Growers and vendors from many areas in and around Suwanee again rolled into town, sometimes twice a week, to show off their wares. Residents would gather to buy, learn about what's going to be in season, and just mingle. Saturday is the final session. The city extended the run by two weeks this year because weather patterns left many farmers with extra crops in the field. The scene was moved from Town Center Park across to the police station on Buford Highway. So let's take a photo retrospective of the 2011 Farmers Market. 

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Suwanee Farmers Market Extended

The event will run through Oct. 15, but move across the street after this week.

The popular Suwanee Farmers Market originally was set to end this Saturday, but it has been extended. Now the market, which meets in Town Center Park, will run through Oct. 15. However, after Saturday's session, the market will move across Buford Highway to the parking lot at the Suwanee Police Department, 373 Buford Highway. “Because of the weather pattern this summer, our farmers continue to have crops in the field,” Suwanee Events Manager Amy Doherty said in a news release. “We decided to extend the market in order to offer area residents fresh produce for as long as possible.”

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Soap Vendor Is Cleaning Up in Suwanee

Secret Garden Soap is available at the Farmers Market.

(Note: The Suwanee Farmers Market meets Tuesday, 4-7 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon, at Town Center Park.) Handmade soap can be a luxurious treat that will not break the bank. A small bar of soap, 3 to 4 ounces, only runs $5 at Secret Garden of Gainesville. Secret Garden, a vendor at the Suwanee Farmers Market, is owned by Mary Forrest and sells handmade soaps that use natural ingredients to moisturize, cleanse and renew your skin. Essential oils are often added for aromatherapy and ingredients like oatmeal and herbs are used for texture and soothing qualities for the skin. Secret Garden is also in the planning stage with White Street Park in Suwanee to offer a soap dubbed Gardener's Grits at a future Suwanee Toast @Town Center. Also in …

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Suwanee Farmers Market Report

Suwanee Vendors Feel the Heat

Recent weather affects farmers' crops and routines.

(Note: The Suwanee Farmers Market meets Tuesday, 4-7 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon, at Town Center Park.) The cooler weather and light rain that greeted Suwanee Farmers Market vendors and patrons Saturday did not erase memories of the searing heat earlier in the week. Heat index figures that soared into triple digits cost farmers some crops and had them working later than usual. "Normally when we get home from our jobs we go in the garden," said Sharon Ferrer of Okie Dokie Farm in Suwanee, a longtime vendor at the Suwanee market. "Physically at our age, we can't go out at 4:30 (in the high heat). We had to wait till evening to pick and prepare. "It was hard on the vegetables too. Vegetables mature faster in high heat or they die. ... I'm…

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Suwanee Farmers Market Report

'Food Geek' Is a Suwanee Market Original

Buford business owner has been canning her own for 26 years.

Note: The Suwanee Farmers Market is Tuesday, 4-7 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon, at Town Center Park. Sharon Batchel grew up canning produce and once thought, "I'll never do this again." Then she found out that produce at grocery stores is not fresh, and that the canned products don't have a lot of flavor. So she founded Serenity Gardens 26 years ago in Buford, and she now is in her ninth year of selling at the Suwanee Farmers Market. She has 62 products in 14 categories. "I know each and every jar personally," she said recently at her booth at Town Center Park. Her vendor badge says "food geek" and "bottle washer." Her big sellers are anything peach and Vidalia onion. Chow Chow, a cabbage relish, also is popular. The jar label says "…

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Suwanee Farmers Market Report

Suwanee Vendor Is All-Natural

May Tree Farm is a familiar booth at the Farmers Market.

Note: The Suwanee Farmers Market is open Tuesday, 4-7 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon, at Town Center Park. At the Suwanee Farmers Market, May Tree Farm offers low-cost, high-quality, natural, free-range chicken and pork as well as eggs from free roaming hens. The farm is located in Eastanollee, Ga., and is family-run by Keith and Julie Foster. Their philosophy is that all-natural does not mean that you have to sacrifice quality. Natural meat can be flavorful and tender.  At the Farmers Market, you will find the May Tree Farm located next to the booth for Maeday Sauces. While the two are not partners, they have a friendship due to their location. At times, you may find that they have samples of their meat that you can pair with a sample of…

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Suwanee Farmers Market Report

Stock Up on Beets, Turnips, Eggs ...

A regular report on the Suwanee agricultural event.

Note: The Suwanee Farmers Market runs Tuesday (4-7 p.m.) and Saturday (8 a.m.-noon) at Town Center Park. The Farmers Market in Suwanee was bustling on Memorial Day weekend. The produce that is currently in season includes beets, turnips, and many different varieties of radishes. Squash and zucchini are also in season now. There are also vendors selling grass-fed meats and farm-fresh eggs. The IG Nursery, run by Mark and Valerie Wheeler, has numerous different types of heirloom tomato plants for those that want to grow their own. They also have information on what each tomato plant tastes like, what they will look like, and how to grow them properly. Fennel, sage, basil, and other herbs are also plentiful. For those with kids, Herbs by Deb …

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Suwanee Farmers Market Report

In Season: Bread, Strawberries

A regular feature describes the Suwanee Farmers Market.

(Note: This is a regular feature on the Suwanee Farmers Market. The market is open Tuesdays, 4-7 p.m., and Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon.) Chase Grizzle was helping several customers look over his selection of strawberries Saturday in Suwanee. "There are no pesticides" used to grow the strawberries at Dahlonega Vegetable Farm, Grizzle said, adding that the fruit would be available for about 3-4 more weeks. "They can pick their own at the farm," added Linda Grizzle, Chase's grandmother. She also noted that it's not the time to grow other vegetables in Dahlonega. Such are the conversations at the twice-weekly Suwanee Farmers Market at Town Center Park. It has been described as a "community" by one vendor, who said that the vendors often educate …

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Suwanee Farmers Market a 'Community'

Annual event draws farmers and customers from around the area.

The annual Suwanee Farmers Market is about more than food. "It's where community meeting community," said Sharon Ferrer of Okie Dokie Farm in Suwanee, a longtime participant in the agricultural event now in its 2011 run at Town Center Park. "A lot of people meet here so they can talk and find out what comes into season," Ferrer continued Saturday at the first weekend session. "We educate them. It's great to watch people interact." Jon Cordell of Goodness Gracious! Granola in Suwanee is in his fourth year at the Suwanee market. He noted Saturday that business was "good today. It's good at the first (of the season), then it goes level." He noted that participation in the Suwanee market has helped him penetrate the retail-store market, such …

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