Two-for-one impact: Eat fresh veggies, support local farmers

With summer less than a month away, the time is upon us for juicy tomatoes, fresh green beans, crisp corn and other flavorful homegrown fruits and veggies of all kinds.

Thankfully, Franklin County has three official sources for locally grown produce, and we want to encourage you to support them this season.

Our county boasts three farmers markets where local growers can make their products available to the public. There’s one in Russellville, adjacent to the A.W. Todd Centre; one in Red Bay, at the Fun Park; and, an addition in recent years, one in Phil Campbell, a casual set-up in the empty lot across from Town Hall.

Each market is open multiple days a week throughout the growing season to provide fresh, homegrown fruits and veggies to our community.

Local farmers set up to sell all kinds of yummy produce. You really can’t beat a freshly harvested potato, bean or cucumber – one that was just pulled out of the ground, from just down the road. We need to patronize these markets and take advantage of the locally grown items.

These farmers are our friends and neighbors, and when they sell us a melon, some okra or a zucchini, we know exactly where it came from. As recently as a few hours ago, it was still rooted in warm north Alabama soil. As a bonus, our hard-earned dollars go to support the people in our community – which enables them to continue in their critical agricultural endeavors.

Local markets are coordinated by the Franklin County Extension, so we want to extend our thanks to the Extension for making sure we have a source for this fresh goodness.

In addition to offering a wide variety of fresh produce and canned items, the markets also host special events like drawings for giveaways and Tomato Sandwich Day.

Don’t forget the assets we have right here in Franklin County in the form of our local farmers markets.