There is no better time to head to a farmers market than right now.

The height of the summer is when the best produce is at its peak. 

Juicy, ripe tomatoes, perfectly sweet watermelons, freshly shelled black-eyed peas (and those divine little lady peas that only show up for about a month), cucumbers, corn on the cob, yellow squash, zucchini — the list of what’s in season right now goes on and on.

Jennifer Chandler: Beloved Memphis restaurants look to pasta, cheesesteaks and combined concepts

Add in the farmers selling locally raised meats, catfish and their own specialty foods — and it’s a one-stop shop!

After a stop at the Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market last Saturday, I enjoyed so many “farm fresh” dishes: 

A veggie plate with yellow squash casserole, black-eyed peas and slices of the juiciest heirloom tomato. 

A lovely salad of fresh arugula and microgreens served with deviled eggs (made from fresh eggs).

A grilled steak served with sauteed shiitake mushrooms, roasted carrots and grilled bok choy.

A light and refreshing summer side salad made with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and spring onions. 

All of these I made at home using ingredients I picked up at the market.

Luckily for us Memphians, we have farmers markets all around town, selling locally grown and raised foods almost every day of the week.

A sampling of farm fresh produce food and restaurant writer Jennifer Chandler picked up at the Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market this month. (Jennifer Chandler/The Daily Memphian)

On Saturdays, you can pick from several options: The Memphis Farmers Market located Downtown at G.E. Patterson Avenue and Front Street, the Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market in the parking lot of the First Congregational Church, and the Bartlett Station Farmers Market at the A. Keith McDonald Pavilion in Freeman Park. In Mississippi, DeSoto County is home to the Hernando Farmers Market located in Hernando’s town square.

The Agricenter Farmers Market, which is also open on Saturdays, is the only Memphis farmers market open several days a week. It’s open Mondays through Saturdays.

There are two Thursday options. The Germantown Farm Park Farmers Market is Thursday afternoons at C.O. Franklin Park. Also on Thursdays, but in the morning, the Collierville Farmers Market is located in the rear parking lot of Collierville United Methodist Church.

You can even start your week at a farmers market. On Mondays, Methodist South Hospital hosts the Whitehaven Farmers Market.

The week on Memphis’ restaurant scene

Memphis Made Brewing Company owners Drew Barton and Andy Ashby at their new Edge District brewery and taproom on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Memphis Made Brewing Co. started a new chapter this past weekend. The craft brewery moved to its new home in the Edge District and celebrated the space’s grand opening on Saturday, July 20. For last week’s Sound Bites podcast, I sat down with owners Andy Ashby and Drew Barton to talk about the new brewery and taproom.

Jennifer Chandler: Memphis Made Brewing starts a new chapter in the Edge District

Tandem Restaurant Group re-opened Front Street Deli last week, with a new menu and a new quick-service pasta concept as part of the offerings. They also announced other quick-service concepts they’re launching later this year, as well as some changes to their iconic Memphis restaurants.

Rob Moore reported that BT Prime Steakhouse in Nesbit closed its doors, and the owner of wedding venue Bonne Terre said it did so partly due to how popular the restaurant is. A new, unnamed management group has bought BT Prime and plans to open it again in a few months.

Jody Callanan attended the Asian Night Market this past Saturday at Tiger Lane. The event had more than 80 vendors, representing 13 countries, selling food, drink and knickknacks.

If you love a good BLT, check out my “What to Order” column where I tell you where to find my favorite right now.

Jennifer Chandler: What to Order: Kinfolk’s BLT

Today is National Tequila Day, so we asked Babalu to share the recipe for their signature Baba Rita margarita. 

And National Ice Cream Day was Sunday, July 21. In honor of that holiday, here are 11 ice cream shops in Memphis that make their ice cream from scratch.

Lastly, Joshua Carlucci recommended stopping by Tamboli’s Pasta & Pizza for their half-portion pasta dishes in this week’s $10 Deal. 

Thanks for joining me for this week’s Table Talk. Be sure to look for this column weekly for all the latest food news in Memphis.

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