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Do you wish you could buy locally grown yummy edibles right off the back of a farmer’s wagon, then carry them home, cook‘em up, and enjoy food you know is natural and organic? Your wish will come true all summer long when the Norcross Whistle Stop Farmers Market sets up shop each Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. beginning June 2.
Walk or take the short drive to the open air market, located along Park and Buchanan Streets between the railroad tracks and the beautiful new Thrasher Park. While you shop for handmade soaps, fresh produce, organic granola products, fine chocolates, or locally raised meats, your children can enjoy the park’s new playground equipment, including a large “train” for climbing, swinging, and sliding.
As you fill your basket to the sound of a whistle from a passing train, you may recall a bygone era when eating locally grown food was a matter of course. More than a hundred years ago, farmers gathered to peddle their wares near the Norcross Depot. Beginning this summer, a collection of vendors will offer the finest of foods and ingredients grown in North Georgia.
“I am really looking forward to coming to the Norcross market on Tuesday evenings because customers will get a lot of fresh produce,” said Ben Shipley, a vendor and farmer from Cumming, Georgia. “I grow a wide range of veggies, such as corn, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, green beans, garden peas, okra, cauliflower, broccoli, bell pepper hot pepper, late watermelons, apples cabbage, and pecans. I want to thank everyone who has had a part in organizing the market. It has been needed for a long time.”
Shipley shared that some items will not be ready when the market first opens since there was a late frost of 26 degrees on April 6 and a lot of rain that delayed some planting. “Now everything is looking good,” Shipley said. “We look forward to seeing everyone when the market opens.”
Newly hired downtown manager Tixie Fowler sees this venture as a wonderful way to promote the picturesque and quaint main street in Historic Norcross, already popular for an eclectic mix of boutique-style businesses, including a neighborhood coffee house, Zapata’s Mexican cuisine and a British specialty shop and a British specialty shop.
“I first thought about a farmers market several years ago when a friend was telling me about one she attended in North Carolina,” Fowler said. “But the time just wasn’t right. It’s the exact opposite now. We’ve received enthusiastic support from Historic Norcross and the surrounding communities, as well as farmers and vendors, including 18 who are currently committed. The project is incredibly exciting!
Following a popular trend to “buy local and eat local,” people are becoming more interested in not only healthy eating, but sustaining the environment by supporting growers of friendly products. Purchasing locally lessens the energy expended in storing and shipping products to and from greater distances.
“Absolutely everything at the market will be locally grown in Georgia, even the jams and jellies,” said Fowler. “We’ll also have homemade body lotions, soaps, an organic heating pad called “The Hug” along with a wide variety of fresh cut flowers and plants.”
With support from the Sustainable Peachtree Corners and Sustainable Norcross teams, a local group promoting a more earth-friendly way of living in our community, the Whistle Stop Market promises to promote better health and a cleaner environment in our area.
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