Wiregrass Farmers Market opens April 11 in Tifton

TIFTON—From goat milk to free-range eggs, the Wiregrass Farmers Market will have a wide variety of items available from local farmers when it opens for its 2015 season from 9 a.m. until noon on April 11 behind the Country Store at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

As an extra added attraction, all visitors to the Market on that day will receive a coupon redeemable at the Country Store for reduced admission to the annual Folklife Festival, which will be in full swing at the Museum all day long.

Founded in 2011 by a group of community volunteers committed to a local and sustainable lifestyle, the Wiregrass Farmers Market is unique in Tift County for its offerings of carefully curated clean, locally-grown food, handmade natural crafts, close relationships between local farmers and customers, and a robust educational program.

For the 2015 season, customers can expect to find local farmers offering local produce, goat milk and cheese, cold-pressed non GMO oils, grass-fed meats, and free-range eggs.

Also available will be artisanal baked goods including vegan and gluten-free items, jams and jellies, handcrafted soaps and personal care items. Visitors will also find fiber goods, items for the home, and jewelry, all hand-made by the vendors who sell them.

Market customers enjoy free nature-based children’s activities weekly, a community compost bin, a demonstration garden, and frequent visits by farm animals. A Market Co-op offers market customers monthly classes on everything from home canning to rain barrels to essential oils.

Artisans Community of the Tiftarea (ACT) is a market partner and offers market goers a chance to create art once a month in a free, hands-on workshop on-site at the market barn. ABAC students often volunteer to lead activities, and several Rural Studies program seniors have interned for the market.

Seasonal events such as the Market Mixer and the annual Farm to Table dinner will be announced later in the season.

A new monthly feature this season will be a Taste of the Market table which offers a chance to sample various products offered by the farmers at their tables, and recipes and ideas to inspire the optimal use of all the goodies that visitors purchased that day.

There is no admission charge for the Wiregrass Farmers Market, which is located under the Pole Barn behind Country Store at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture. Market goers can park in the Country Store lot on Whiddon Mill Road.

The Wiregrass Farmers Market season runs from April 11 to Oct. 31, with a summer break during August. A Holiday Market is scheduled each year in early December.

For information on the Wiregrass Farmers Market, interested local farmers can contact Market Manager Susan Schwartz at [email protected] or GMA Market Liaison Polly Huff at [email protected]. More Market information can be found on the website, www.wiregrassmarket.org and on Facebook/wiregrassfarmersmarket.