“I dare anyone to come out here and try to leave without buying anything,” challenged Amy Barrett at the Union County Farmers Market. She and many others took full advantage of the nice weather June 14 to peruse fresh produce and handmade crafts at the beginning of the season.
Speaking of produce, some popular options from Saturday included squash, zucchini, kale, collards, beets, broccoli, cucumbers and lettuce. Fruit, though not as plentiful as the vegetables, was available in limited amounts of watermelon and peaches.
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For the bold, vendor Turtle Rock Holistic offers some unique choices when it comes to greens. Bok choy, or Chinese cabbage, was just one crop made available in addition to various medicinal and culinary herbs like sage, rosemary and thyme.
“This is our fourth year at the market,” said Brooke Strickland, one half of the owner-operating team behind Turtle Rock alongside Michael Williams. The pair started in the nursery business and expanded into gardening, though it’s taken a few years for them to get where they are now.
Their growth has been so pronounced, Strickland said, that they needed to invest in a second booth for their customers to browse comfortably. She attributes their success to the Farmers Market, and they look forward to another year providing fresh produce free of pesticides or herbicides to the community.
Meanwhile, Heather Carleton of SASSYSQRL proved that the crafts side of the market also includes out-of-the-box thinking with her line of organic dry shampoo. Perfect for folks with busy lives, frequent campers or those simply looking to try an alternative to traditional brands, Carleton touted Simply Sassy Dry Shampoo Powder as a great option for multiple choices.
“I don’t use any chemicals – no preservatives; everything is completely clean,” Carleton explained, pointing out that she offers a similar product for dogs that helps clean and freshen up coats. For humans, she has seven different scents and powders that work for both light and dark hair.
Artist Emory Nolan was mostly selling his landscape paintings, but his very young daughter was also proudly offering lucky rabbit feet that she prepared herself from their homestead. For his own art, Nolan puts together scenes of the natural world depicting everything from winding rivers surrounded by vibrant flowers to bears crossing a meadow.
“My art has transitioned from jazz musicians to landscapes and wildlife,” said Nolan, who is inspired by his surroundings. Having grown up in Louisiana, Nolan moved to Blairsville from New Orleans and found a new muse. “There’s a lot more interest in art than I originally thought.”
Steve Arnold was visiting the Farmers Market for the first time but was pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of goods he found. It helped that vendors and fellow guests were friendly, he noted, and with such a positive experience, he said it’s safe to say he’ll be back in the future.
Donnia Legg enjoyed a trip to the Farmers Market with friends Sandra Gooch and Jocelyn Bowers that day. She’s a frequent customer of jam and fresh veggies but purchased some honey, homemade bread and fruit last weekend.
“We enjoy it very much,” Legg admitted, glad for good time spent with great company and proud to support local farmers and artisans.
Located at 290 Farmers Market Way in Blairsville, the Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday and Saturday from now through October. For more information, visit https://www.unioncountyga.gov/341/Union-County-Farmers-Market.
