Local tea added to farmers market lineup
Published 9:40 pm Wednesday, November 13, 2019
The Brookhaven Farmers Market will make its last appearance for the year just in time for Thanksgiving preparations.
The market will be Nov. 26 from 7:30 a.m. to noon in Railroad Park unless it’s too cold or rainy that day, said Rebecca Bates with the Lincoln County Extension Service. If the weather is bad, they’ll move the market to the Godbold Transportation Center, which is the Amtrak train and Greyhound bus station.
Vendors will have local honey and farm fresh eggs available for bakers who want to make their own dishes, but there will be plenty of homebaked goods to choose from as well, Bates said. She’ll have vendors with sourdough bread, artisan bread, cakes, pies, cinnamon rolls and cookies as well as jars of jellies, jams and pickles that are good for serving on the Thanksgiving table or giving as gifts.
Several vendors will bring fresh fall produce like collards, mustards, turnips, broccoli and cabbage.
“It will likely all be cut the afternoon before, so you know everything will be fresh on your table,” she said.
There will also be fried pork skins and products made from goat milk.
The Great Mississippi Tea Co., a Lincoln County business that sells internationally, plans to make its first appearance at the market and will have tea to sample that will also be available to purchase.
Though the company typically sells its products online, there will be packages for sale at the Brookhaven market.
Bates, who is a regular online customer of the East Lincoln company, was excited that the tea farm will be selling products at the market.
“It’s packaged very nicely and makes a really nice Christmas gift,” she said.
The Thanksgiving market closes out the Brookhaven Farmers Market schedule for the year. It gives growers a chance to sell their fall produce and allows customers a chance to buy items for their Thanksgiving meal that they know is grown or prepared locally.
Being able to offer fresh baked goods for shoppers is a bonus since so many cooks get overwhelmed trying to prepare everything for the holiday, she said.
“You can know they were homemade, just as if you would have done it yourself,” she said.
The father-daughter team of Katie and Doc Patterson will provide live music for the event.
“They sang for us this past summer and were just so wonderful we invited them back,” Bates said.