Peachtree Road Farmer's Market

I have always loved going to open air Farmer's Markets, even when I was younger. There's just something about being able to select your fresh food out in the open air and knowing where your food comes from that makes it worth paying a little bit more for it, especially if it's organic, grassfed, etc. That being said, I finally found a farmer's market intown that is worthwhile. Peachtree Road Farmer's Market (www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com; Cathedral of St. Philip- 2744 Peachtree Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30305) is located in a church parking lot in Buckhead every Saturday morning from April 10, 2010 to December 18, 2010. Up until August it is open from 8:30AM to 12:30PM. From September to December it will be open from 9AM to 12:30PM. It is important to note that you should bring your own reusable bag if you want to look like a regular and make sure you have plenty of cash. A few of my favorite vendors so far include Holeman & Finch Bread Co, Atlanta Fresh Artisan Creamery, Costa's Pasta, Pine Street Market, and Riverview Farms. The best part of all is most of them have free samples!!!

H&F Bread Co has a wide variety of breads and pastries and everything is extremely fresh. So far, I've tried the multi-grain baguette, the hotdog buns and a loaf of the multi-grain bread. They were all very tasty but unfortunately only last a few days since they don't have preservatives in them. It's usually not a problem for us though because we love bread. I was even able to use the hotdog buns for some kielbasa I bought from the Pine Street Market vendor. Perfect one-stop shopping for a great meal. Definitely don't miss out on Pine Street Market's applewood bacon either. It is thick cut and has a wonderful flavor. I wanted to buy salami from them too for when we have company over but ended up passing on it and opting to buy some chevre goat's milk cheese with walnuts and cranberries in it instead. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the vendor where I found the cheese but they also sell cow's milk cheese and Johnson Family Farms' milk. If you've never had this milk before, do yourself a favor and go pick up a half gallon. You can find it at Alon's, Sawicki's in Decatur, Whole Foods or Your DeKalb Farmer's Market. It's a little bit more expensive but the milk is pasteurized not homogenized so nothing is added or taken away from the milk meaning you can really taste the cream in the milk. Delicious! At the Atlanta Fresh Artisan Creamery tent, I bought a ball of fresh mozzarella, which I used for a pasta dish later that night. I thought it was good but couldn't really tell the difference between it and what you can buy in the store. At Costa's Pasta, I bought a box (36 pieces) of butternut squash ravioli which I split with one of my friends. The owner said it will keep for a month or so if you freeze it. I ended up using it about 2 weeks later and he was right, it still tasted fresh. Although, I have to admit it was not as good as Via Elisa's pasta. If only she was still in business. I think you can buy her pasta sauce at Whole Foods but it's just not the same as her fresh pasta. Anyways, one of my absolute favorite vendors at the market is Riverview Farms. Everyone I've met from there has been very friendly and takes time to explain what meats they have that day. I've tried the ground sausage in a pasta dish and it was to die for! It definitely did not taste like the tubed sausage from the grocery store. It was much more juicy and crumbly versus dried out and chewy. My friend tried the pork chops (only seasoned with salt & pepper) and said they were the best she'd ever had. Another review I read describes Riverview Farms' pork chops as the Kobe beef of pork. I can't wait to try them but they were sold out when I went last time. Did I mention the best part? All of their meat and vegetables are certified organic and they have grass-fed beef and pastured Berkshire pork. I can't wait to try their steaks either but I have to have something to keep going back for. They also recently added whole chickens to their selection. The other thing I love about Riverview Farms is that they will sell you a huge brown bag of basil for $2-$3. Unbelievable! Can you say homemade pesto? Yes, please.

I've also bought some other things at the market, like raspberry honey and strawberry-lavendar jam, but I can't remember the name of the vendors where I found those. Other vendors sell fresh fruits and vegetables but they seemed a little pricey to me. You can also buy herbs to plant in your garden if you're feeling courageous. All in all, this farmer's market is a great way to spend your Saturday morning. You can even have breakfast or lunch there. They have vendors selling dancing goats coffee, made-to-order crepes, popsicles, cookies and even wood-fired oven pizza. My only suggestion is to get there early because some stuff does sell out quickly. As for parking, turn into the church at the stoplight by Felini's on Peachtree and they will direct you where to park. The market even allows you to bring your pets too if it's not ridiculously hot out. Final suggestion: Take a bottle of water with you. I didn't see any vendors selling cold beverages.