A new Jackson County Green Market hopes to address the lack of fresh produce and grocery options in what organizers describe as a local food desert.
Green Market Chairman and Market Manager Mickie Davis said the county currently lacks a major grocery store and offers very limited availability for fresh fruits and vegetables. Davis said the initiative aims to connect local gardeners directly with residents to ensure the community has access to healthy, homegrown food.
“I thought it would be a good idea for us to be able to have local people bring their vegetables from their gardens and sell them to other locals in the county,” Davis said. “And we just kind of went with that idea and ran with it.”
Davis said the market operates on Saturdays from 8am to noon and has already hosted between 10 and 13 vendors during its first few weeks of operation. Davis said the market has seen a positive response from the community, with many vendors selling out of their products.
“We’ve had a huge positive comments and outpouring from people who’ve come to the market saying, you know, a lot of the comments were, ‘I’m so glad you’re here, we’ve really needed this,’” Davis said. “And the vendors love it, they’ve been making money.”
The market features a variety of seasonal produce including tomatoes, squash, onions and garlic, alongside other local goods like honey, baked breads and herbal remedies. Davis said the selection changes based on the time of year because local farmers must follow the natural growing seasons for crops like corn, pumpkins and watermelons.
“People have to learn, you know, you can’t get corn all the time,” Davis said. “It has to be with the seasons.”
Davis said the Green Market has applied to become a SNAP vendor to allow residents to use EBT cards for fresh vegetable purchases. Davis said the organization is also exploring grant programs that would allow EBT recipients to double their money when shopping at the market.
In addition to government benefits, Davis said product prices can fluctuate with supply and demand, offering further discounts for savvy shoppers.
“The good thing about a farmers market is you can haggle,” Davis said. “You can make a deal with the farmer. Especially if it’s the end of the day.”
Davis said shopping at the market helps keep money within the rural agricultural community while saving consumers money on sales tax. Davis said Tennessee law exempts direct farmer-to-consumer transactions from sales tax, providing an immediate discount compared to grocery store prices.
“Basically that money just kind of gets rotated through our own community instead of leaving Jackson County,” Davis said.
Davis said the money spend at the farmer’s market often times lets local agriculturalists reinvest in to their tools, further strengthening operations.
Davis said the early success of the market and the return of repeat customers suggests the local food system is viable for the long term.