The Freedom Farmers Market is a year-round market held in the parking lot of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center. The Carter Center is in our neighborhood, a 25-minute walk or a short drive away, and we generally go every Saturday morning. We go at 8:30 am because it can get really crowded, especially in the spring and summer when the weather is nice and the produce is abundant.

It’s a large market with a wide variety of vendors – fruit and vegetables, mushrooms, bread and pastries, shrimp, beef, chicken, eggs, and cheese as well as a couple of breakfast stalls and booths selling packaged goods like jams, kimchi, honey, and cured meats. In our early days in the neighborhood, the market was smaller during the winter, but now there are plenty of vendors during the colder months to make the weekly trip worthwhile.

The food costs more than the offerings at the grocery store, but we’re okay with that. It’s all organic and, because it’s local and in season and just picked, it tastes so much better. Plus, we like to support small, local farms and businesses. We visit the farmers market on Saturday morning, and based on what we buy, we then plan our meals and grocery shopping for the upcoming week. We eat what’s in season, and the result is a varied menu throughout the year. 

We’re fortunate to have such a great resource within walking distance of our house. In addition to providing healthy food choices, it’s a fun part of our weekly routine and it offers creative culinary inspiration throughout the year.