New Semiweekly Produce Auction Brings Bulk Buying to the Public
Friday, July 09, 2010 | 09:52am
NASHVILLE– The Nashville Farmers Market is now home to a semiweekly produce auction, giving consumers the opportunity to buy sizable quantities of fresh picked produce. Farm Fresh Auctions are currently held on Tuesdays and Thursdays with bidding starting at 10 a.m.
The official grand opening for the new market option will be held July 22 at 10 a.m. Produce growers from at least eight counties will be on hand to offer their produce for auction and to meet and talk with customers.
Buying by the box, bushel or peck can be less expensive than buying by the pound, and with practice, a savvy customer can come away with a bargain. For a public increasingly interested in local foods—and in preparing those foods themselves by canning, freezing, pickling or drying —bulk buying is the practical choice.
Auction founder Anthony Cherry says he explored the idea of a public auction with about 150 farmers, both at farmers markets and on their farms. Once he got commitments from area producers to bring a portion of their produce to the Nashville market in bulk, Cherry formed the Farm Fresh Auction Company.
“There are very few places where you know for certain where and when your produce was picked,” says Cherry. “You can rest assured when you buy from our auction; our auction audits our growers to know where and when. All certifications are on file as well.”
Cherry hopes that the regular auction will meet a need for area restaurants, small grocery and specialty food stores and anyone with a serious interest in local foods. Buying fresh produce by the pound had up until now been the only option for customers who needed more than just a few pounds of a particular item, but not enough to buy by the truckload.
For more information, contact Farm Fresh Auction at www.farmfreshauction.com. To find local farms and farmers markets, visit www.picktnproducts.org.