Piedmont Park Green Market

Having obtained a rare four-day weekend, I took advantage of a sunny, temperate Saturday morning to drive downtown and check out the Piedmont Park Green Market. Every Saturday from 9am-1pm (probably a little earlier, I suspect), about fifteen to twenty-five vendors set up tents just inside the 12th street entrance. They are in their seventh year now, and have been the inspiration for many other farmer’s markets that have started in the last couple of years. Parking off Piedmont Road can be a challenge, so I thought it best to drive to the other side of the park and find a place on one of the quiet residential streets. This also afforded me a pleasant walk through the center of the 188 acre park under shady trees, amidst families out for strolls, dedicated dog-walkers and inline skaters, and what may be the last of long-legged lady joggers in shorts and tanktops.

On this day there were not a lot of “out-of-town” farmers and vendors. There were a few, including a man selling honey, vegetables, and eggs at $5 a dozen. He was sold out, but gave me a card and said I could pre-order during the week and he would hold them for me next Saturday. The search for the $5 egg goes on. Among the people who were there were local bakers, people selling flowers, a food truck featured on Food Channel, a couple who hand-makes their own pastas, and a tent providing produce grown by a local church, harvested by volunteers, and sold to raise money for charity. There was a band playing on the Clara Meer Dock, a pleasing, agreeable jazz number.

Because it is downtown there is a constant flow of people, both dedicated shoppers and people just passing by entering the park. There was little time to chat with the vendors because every few moments someone was ready to make a purchase. I did sample some flavored olive oils with the pasta couple, and bought some whole-wheat pasta (even though it breaks my rule of not buying anything I can make myself). I also bought some tiny cherry tomatoes from the church tent, and some purple muscadines from another vendor. The market runs May until December, but I wonder what the fall selection is going to look like. While it is a great resource for in-town residents who can just walk down the street to the park, it is a bit longer for me and I wouldn’t use it as a regular shopping venue. Except for the pasta, the Green Market carries much of the same items as any of the other markets I have been to. I do like the concept of the church maintaining their own garden and supporting charities with the proceeds. I am less in favor of Kaiser Permanente and the AJC being “sponsors” of the market, but maybe I’m being corporate-paranoid. It’s a nice little market with variety and personality, and it adds to the fabric of the local, organic, and sustainable environment. It’s prominent placement in Piedmont Park demonstrates the conservancy’s dedication to keeping the park a true “common ground” and community asset.