S. joins hundreds of others who come to the Marietta Square Farmer’s Market to check out the local and organic produce
From May to December the city of Marietta closes off one of the streets alongside it’s historic square and allows market vendors to set up their signature tents from 9am-noon on Saturday. Parking on the streets is free and there is plenty of shade and some of the little shops on the square open early to offer coffee, tea, pastries and sandwiches to the several hundred people who come to visit the 40+ vendors.
It is a good 45 minute drive for us but we went over there to check out the Marietta Square Farmer’s Market. We were able to park on the opposite side of the square and walk through the middle, where the sidewalks were all lined with American flags in rememberance of 9/11. The market stalls were in two rows and we meandered our way up, then down, then up again, comparing, shopping, talking to vendors, and getting a sense of what kind of marekt this was.
It is a little different than the others we have been to. But then, Marietta is a little different. I always feel like it is a town/neighborhood on the verge of progressive-stagnation. They want an upscale lifestyle with small-town charm. They want lots of diverse and unique things to do, but don’t want the traffic or increase in population. They have very affluent people who are sometimes tight with their cashflow. They are very nice people, and I have a number of friends in Marietta. We wanted to buy a house in Marietta initially but could not afford what we wanted. I’m not down or Marietta, I’m down with Marietta. But I have noticed that the character of the farmer’s markets reflects the communities we have been in, and that’s how it was here, too. The square is surrounded by antique shops, knick-knack stores, pubs, retro clothing stores and art galleries. The market has less emphasis on “farm fresh” produce than on breads, pastas, honey, jams, pickles, even some crafts. One stall was for a restaurant that is already located on the square. I still think it is great that they are part of the community effort to support the market, and that by getting a space they are keeping the market alive and active. Yet… maybe they could have donated the space to a farm or local food producer.
That’s not to say there were no farmers or produce. There were several tables loaded with late summer selections of tomatoes, muscadines, squashes, herbs, flowers, apples, pears, even some pomegranates. We were going to get some hydro Bibb lettuce from one guy, but he was sold out. He started selling around 9am and by 10:30 he had sold 200 heads. I got some muscadines from a woman who had grown them in her front yard, some non-homogenized milk to make yogurt (one step closer to real, raw milk yogurt and cheese), some applewood smoked bacon from Pine Street Market’s stall, and some Emily G’s Jams of Love. I got her newest flavor, Apple Pie. It is delicious, especially drizzled over some of the wild pears we picked last weekend. I want to try some with home-made ginger snap cookies.
The Marietta Square Market is a nice place to visit, and given more chances to go I’m sure a person would develop repoires with the vendors. Plus it is a nice way to kick off a pleasant stroll through the historic and commercial part of this unique town.
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