The Pepper Place Market

2829 2nd Avenue South

Birmingham AL 35233
http://www.pepperplacemarket.com/

Pepper Place Market is where farming families in the region meet up every Saturday morning from April thru December and bring their vegetables, flowers, breads, cookies, cakes, pies and honey to the city of Birmingham to sell. In addition to farmers, bakers and beekeepers being at the market, there are musicians playing on stages as well! There is also a cooking demonstration at 9:00 am every Saturday morning by some of Birmingham's finest chefs.

The Pepper Place Market is open April 16-December 17 2011 from 07:00 am til 12 noon. During the spring season, you can pick up seedling and young plants for your vegetable and flower beds. Summertime is time for you to come by and pick up your peaches, tomatoes, okra, peas, squash and blackberries- all farm grown by local farmers. Fall in Alabama is a wonderful time for squash, beets, broccoli and pumpkins. You can also pick up freshly grown root vegetables and some hearty tomatoes late in the season. Great holiday gifts are also offered during the fall months from some of the finest local artisans.

You can visit Pepper Place Market's website www.pepperplacemarket.com for a list of market dates, activities, performances, and cooking demonstrations. If you are a vendor interested in setting up on Saturday mornings, you can also visit their website for additional information.

Dana

Organic Harvest Market, Cafe and Nutrition Center

1580 Montgomery Hwy #12
Vestavia Hills, AL 35216
205-978-0318
http://www.orgharvest.com/
Organic Harvest Market is a family owned organic market in Vestavia Hills. They offer great prices on organic foods and always have the newest products available. (You can get organic whole wheat bread for $3.19 or an uncured pepperoni pizza for $4.99) Organic harvest is a full service organic grocery that sells produce, meats, dairy, and fresh breads. You can visit their website, www.orgharvest.com for a list of promotions and sale prices. Organic Harvest Market supports several crop and dairy farmers in the community. They are actually the only local place that sells Wright's Dairy milk products (which is a dairy farm located in Alexandria AL that raises their herd of cattle all naturally and with great care.) The milk is not like anything you have ever tasted!! Organic Harvest has a complete array of organic and alternative dairy products as well.
Organic Harvest also offers a nutrition center that sells supplements, protein powders and medicinal herbs and teas. Come in and see their helpful staff that has over a 100 years experience to help you achieve a healthy life.
Organic Harvest is also home to Birmingham's only totally organic cafe, smoothie and juice bar. They offer many unique wraps, salads and soups. Visit their website www.orgharvest.com for a complete menu and store/ cafe hours. Don't forget to purchase your organically grown bottle of wine!

Dana

Dixon Family Farm

Dixon Family Farm

Bennie Dixon and Family

101 County Road 365

Clanton, AL 35045

205-299-6357 – Bennie Dixon

334-376-9878 – Rodney Dixon

The Dixon Family Farm is owned and operated by Bennie Dixon and his children, Rodney, Rosalyn and Karla. Their farm resides off County Road 365 in Chilton County, Alabama. Their farm, open year round has many different varieties of vegetables and produce for sale.This month of June, they have squash, pink-eye-purple-hull peas, tomatoes, different melon varieties, and other vegetables including cabbages and cucumbers. All of their produce is freshly picked and packaged for sale throughout numerous farmers’ markets in and around the Birmingham area.

Bennie and his son, Rodney, typically handle the planting and harvesting jobs of the farm, while daughters Karla and Rosalyn assists in packaging the produce and transporting it to sell at different markets. Since, the freshest produce is chosen for sale, they plant and harvest according to each vegetable’s growing season. Within a summer growing season, the Dixons will grow lots of produce to meet their demanding market schedule. Almost daily they have truck loads of produce ready to be sent to surrounding markets.

On a typical market day, the Dixons will have three produce trucks at different areas. They can usually be found on Monday evenings at the Montevallo Farmer’s Market, in downtown Montevallo and on Tuesdays they are at the Calera Farmers Market, which is approximately less than ten miles from Montevallo residents. For the remainder of the week they are at the farmers’ markets in Sylacauga, East Lake, East Chase and Homewood all near metropolitan Birmingham.

Bennie Dixon is also a member of the Alabama Farmer’s Market. To become a member of this association, one must be a grower and farmer that harvest their crops within Alabama. The Alabama Farmer's Market is a wholesale distributor for produce in Birmingham. If a person needs fresh produce and a market is not open or near, the Dixons will take orders by phone and will make arrangements to fulfill those needs. Typically, orders are made for customers who plan on purchasing bushels of vegetables, such as peas. Arrangements are made where the customers can come to the farm in Clanton or meet the Dixons at a local farmers’ market.

Dixon Family Farms offers the freshest vegetables they can possibly offer, grown right from the dirt at their home in Clanton, Alabama. They make produce not only easily available for Montevallo residents, but for the urban areas of Alabama, which are less accessible to fresh homegrown produce.

Emily

Honeyhill Farm: Pickett's Produce and Honey

Honeyhill Farm

3500 Highway 10

Montevallo, AL 35115

205-665-5922

Honeyhill Farm: Pickett’s Produce and Honey

Honeyhill Farm: Pickett’s Produce and Honey is a family-owned and operated vegetable and honey farm in Montevallo. Owned by fourth generation honey farmer Mike Pickett, Honeyhill Farm produces far more than just honey. Jointly managed with his wife Joan and daughter Lori, this local operation grows and harvests vegetables, fruits, flowers, and eggs. Their farm is located at their home on Highway 10 just outside of the main district of Montevallo, towards Pea Ridge, Alabama.

Mike Pickett has been keeping bees since he was twelve years old. Beekeeping has become a tradition in the Pickett family. His daughter, Lori, has also picked up on beekeeping, thus making it a five generation practice. The honey they produce is far sweeter than the taste; they offer this sweet goodness to the public. Anyone can pick up honey from their house on Highway 10 to local grocers unto which they distribute. Citizens of Montevallo can now purchase and eat local honey that is produced by bees in their own community.

Aside from beekeeping, farming keeps the Pickett’s busy. They grow an array of fresh vegetables and fruits. A typical harvest may include, but not limited to, tomatoes, green beans, peas, squash, cucumbers, onions, melons, berries, peppers, potatoes, and cabbage. Their locally homegrown produce can be purchased for sale at the Montevallo Farmer’s Market, which is every Monday from 3-6 pm behind the First Baptist Church on Main Street. They have also been known to sell at surrounding areas, such as the Helena Farmer’s Market. Not limited only to farmer markets, the Picketts’ produce can also be found in local grocery stores. Honey and vegetables are not the only fresh products they offer. While choosing between the fresh produce and the different-sized jars of honey, one can purchase fresh-grown flowers and yard eggs. These beautiful flowers were grown adjacent to their crop-fields and the eggs were hatched by chickens they own.

Honey and produce can be bought directly from the Pickett’s at their home, the local farmer’s market, or Lucky’s Foodland and Piggly Wiggly on Highway 25 in Montevallo.


Emily