Planning a family road trip to Memphis? Decided that vacation home rentals in memphis tn are the way to go, because they’ll allow you to cook meals from scratch rather than dragging the entire family out to an overpriced meal at a local restaurant?
Let this guide to Memphis, Tennessee’s Organic Grocers and Farmers Markets be your guide.
Located right downtown, and open on Saturdays from April through October, the Memphis Farmers Market has everything you’d expect a large market to offer: meats, fruits and vegetables, fresh home-baked goods, jams and jellies, flowers, honey and all manner of other foods that you can take back to your vacation rental to cook – or snack on right on the spot while enjoying live musical acts that set a festive mood. It also has an educational component, and you can drop by cooking demos, nutrition seminars and more.
Located on Mud Island, Cordelia’s prides itself on green business practices and offering locally grown and produced products. They also have a wonderful deli, where nearly every item is prepared daily from scratch. Cordelia’s mission is to be a neighborhood grocery store, so it stocks all the essentials – beer, wine, eggs, milk – and you’re welcome to relax and enjoy a beverage and a fresh-made sandwich on the porch if the mood strikes you.
Friendly and small – yet not lacking in selection – the Coopers-Young community farmers market is held in the parking lot of the neighborhood’s First Congregational Church parking lot. You’ll find a large selection of specialty meats – think duck and lamb – that the other markets don’t tend to stock. And, of course, you’ll also find a large selection of locally grown fruits and veggies, handmade soaps, herbs… and fresh-baked products that you may not be able to do without.
Sometimes, it’s not all in the name. The South Memphis Farmers market is indeed just that on Thursdays from June through September – but it’s also a year-round green grocer that offers a myriad of ingredients for whipping up a gourmet meal in your kitchen. Looking for new dishes to add to your repertoire? The grocery store offers free cooking classes in their demonstration kitchen, turning your shopping trip into a culinary adventure.
If you’re staying downtown, it’s a little bit of a drive – but if you, like so many of us, have become dependent on a certain plastic tub of triple-ginger cookies, you might find yourself headed to nearby Germantown to stock up. If you’re not familiar, Trader Joe’s is a supermarket that leans toward organic – and they feature their own lines of cookies, salsas (their corn salsa is pretty amazing), candies and such. They also stock beer and wine – and they generally have a few local offerings.
Your one-stop superstore for all things organic and natural living, Whole Foods has all of meats, veggies, non-perishables, beer, wine and supplements your could ever dream of wanting – along with a lot of items you never knew you’d require. This juggernaut can be depended upon when the local farmers markets aren’t stocking the fresh citruses for that fresh fruit salad you’d been planning on making – and in a new city, it’s something familiar. Feel like staying in? Take advantage of Whole Foods’ delivery service.
The name could be the source of some confusion: Sprouts is not, in fact, a farmers market in the traditional sense of the word. But it is a well-loved purveyor of organic veggies, meats and natural products that offers a great selection and prices that are very reasonable. The hot bar is great, too.
Time to get cooking!
Memphis is a city with a lot to offer in the way of fresh, organic foods – and booking a vacation rental rather than a hotel while you’re in town is the perfect way to take advantage of it all.
Happy travels!