The Green Market provides fun, food, and entertainment
Produce from Lucky Leaf Farm looks healthy and fresh.
August 22, 2016
The Green Market, a farmer’s market at Piedmont Park, has attracted food-loving citizens of Atlanta for the past 13 years by providing fresh and local produce every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., from March until early December.
Local musicians, chefs, and food and drink vendors house themselves at the 12th Street gate, near the children’s playground and the lake. At 11 a.m., local chefs perform cooking demonstrations at the Piedmont Park Community Center Patio. From 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., local bands and artists perform for visitors on the stage near the Visitor Center. Stalls littered throughout sell products ranging from fresh Georgia peaches to coffee.
Outside the Nectar food truck, the staff provides tables and chairs where people consume their purchases from nearby food and drink vendors. Vendors also offer free samples of their products to wandering customers, like an all-natural Costco. “There is always something good to eat!” Mo from 2 Hill Farm said.
“You can describe them as urban farmers, you know, right in the middle of the city,” Karim, a weekly customer, points out.
Fan-favorite vendors include Blue Donkey Iced Coffee, King of Pops, and Emerald City Bagels. While these stalls boast major business, other merchants at the market sell seasonal produce, fresh flowers, chocolate, honey, sauces, farm-raised meats, eggs, cheese, seafood, spices, and dried fruit. Most vendors offer fresh, healthy products for their customers.
After perusing the stalls for a few hours, I began to get hungry and ordered a Chicken and Pesto Panini from the Nectar food truck. Served warm and with lots of napkins for my messy-eating habits, I enjoyed consuming the perfectly toasted bread with juicy chicken, tomatoes, and avocado.
“Everybody’s passionate about what they do, and they care about health and sustainability. That’s what I’m about,” Stephen from Bamboo Juice said.
If preparing food seems daunting, other vendors sell ready-to-eat food such as paninis, pizza, pasta, sweet treats, bagels, dumplings, and pie. Stalls sell a variety of drinks as well, including fresh-pressed juices, kombucha, iced coffee, and tea. For four-legged friends, Pawl Natural sells jerky and Big Daddy Biscuits sells all-natural dog biscuits. Vendors also market a range of home and body products, such as handmade baskets, succulent pots and plants, and natural deodorant and soaps.
Even dogs enjoy Blue Donkey Iced Coffee. When asked about her favorite part of Green Market, Kendra from Watsonia Peaches said, “I get to look at dogs all day!”
“[Green Market has] lots of good products: nice breakfast, that’s why I come here. Awesome bagels [from Emerald City Bagels],” Karim said.
Green Market finds its niche in local runners, bike-riders and loyal shoppers who attend every week.
“I love that you have people out here exercising as well as people [that are] shopping,” Valerie from Kale Chips said.
Various local musicians also perform on the stage near the visitor center. Bands can email the Green Market coordinators to schedule a performance and promote their band or cause. Performers range from string quartets to country bands, which appeal to a wide range of customers. Local chef, Joe Englebird, also provides cooking demonstrations at the Visitor Center on how to use market produce for healthy cooking.
Set in the middle of Piedmont Park, citizens of Atlanta and its neighboring cities can easily access Green Market and appreciate its benefits. With stone walls and shaded benches to sit on, the park also promotes shade and friendliness.
“The park seems to be a pretty friendly atmosphere, and I think it makes it a little more shady and friendly,” Kel from King of Pops said.
On the next open Saturday morning, check out the Green Market and enjoy the warm air, friendly people, sniffing dogs, live music, and mouthwatering food and drinks.
Huskies, bulldogs, dachshunds, Pomeranians, and golden retrievers walk along the streets of Green Market. All different breeds and sizes of dogs trot alongside their owners or patiently wait under the table for fallen food. “I’m only here for the dogs,” one passerby said.
