Shop, Eat and Live Local at Chatham County Farmers Markets

April 4, 2025/Chatham Mag Intern/Business, Eat & Drink

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Don’t miss out on fresh finds and friendly faces at your local market

The wall of a barn painted to say "It's all local at the market" with a chicken — Northwood High School graduate Samantha Thurber painted the mural on the shed at the Pittsboro Farmers Market at The Plant. *Photo courtesy of the Pittsboro Farmers Market*

By Lauren Rouse | Photography by Anna-Rhesa Versola

Farmers markets do more than provide fresh, local food – they foster community, support smallscale agriculture and contribute to environmental sustainability. Food reaches consumers at prime freshness, offering more flavor and nutrients than produce that travels long distances. Farmers markets also help people eat seasonally by introducing them to fruits and vegetables at their natural peak and encouraging a deeper connection to local food cycles. These markets in Chatham offer residents access to locally harvested produce, handmade goods and a direct connection to the people who grow their food. For many vendors and shoppers, these markets are more than transactions – they are spaces for connection and relationship-building that reinforce the power of food as a shared experience.

Woman stands behind vegetable produce stand — Meredith Leight started Granite Springs Farm in 2009 with her late husband, Ed Leight.

Fearrington Farmers Market

A chocolate cake with light green frosting and powdered sugar — Look for gluten free cakes, breads, muffins and more by Irish Bakers at the Farmers Market at Briar Chapel and the Pittsboro Farmers Market. *Photo by Mary O’Loughlin.*

The Fearrington Farmers Market has been a staple of the community since 1991. The market maintains a strict commitment to local sourcing – all vendors must grow or produce their goods within 50 miles. Market manager Eddie Kallam says small farmers rely on markets as a primary way to sell their products directly to customers.

“I’ve had multiple vendors tell me how much they like being here,” Eddie says. “There’s a big social component to the market. I have customers who are worried about vendors if they miss multiple markets. There’s a lot of caring between customers and vendors.”

The market also partners with local nonprofits and community organizations, offering booth space to groups like Feed-Well Fridges, a food access initiative run by chef Sera Cuni, and the N.C. State Extension Master Gardener program, which provides education on sustainable growing practices. Local bands like The Original Haw River Crawdaddies and Gary Green and The Invisibles perform when weather permits.

Longtime vendor Granite Springs Farm prioritizes sustainable growing methods. Owner Meredith Leight emphasizes soil health and biodiversity, using compost and organic methods to grow more than 70 types of vegetables and microgreens. The farm grows produce in the field and in five high tunnels year around, so offerings are always changing with the seasons.

“Visiting the market weekly helps folks learn what’s in season and provides a fun and relaxed time to socialize and find out about other cool things happening in the area,” Meredith says. “It’s such a great way to connect with people. Everybody loves to talk about food!” Granite Springs Farm also sells produce at the Briar Chapel Farmers Market and Pittsboro Farmers Market.

Pastries wrapped in plastic sit lined up on a purple table — Culinary Institute of America grad Jenny Braitsch now makes yummy treats through her Pittsboro-based business, Confectious Creations.

Briar Chapel Farmers Market

The Briar Chapel Farmers Market is the newest in Chatham. It opened in 2023 and all eight regular vendors are women-owned businesses – a unique feat considering agriculture is a historically male-dominated field. The market sits in the heart of Briar Chapel and brings fresh food and handmade goods to residents. It is a welcoming space where farmers and artisans share their work with the neighborhood and offers residents a convenient way to shop for vegetables, meats and prepared foods close to home.

Two jars of honey sit on a wooden ledge — You can also find regionally produced goods, like Tallyho Honey from Carrboro, at Chatham County farmers markets. *Photo courtesy of Tayllyho Honey.*

Woodland Farm owner Kathryn Beckerdite oversees the market while also selling pastured lamb and pork. She describes her role as an “acting den mother” and works collaboratively with vendors to maintain a true farmers market feel. This year, the market is experimenting with a structured schedule, focusing on food vendors for most Fridays, while the fourth Friday of each month features artisans selling locally crafted goods.

“We love chatting with our customers,” Kathryn says. “Folks are so eager to know where their food comes from and how to best cook it that you can get caught up in a conversation.” Kathryn also says she doesn’t mind when folks just stop to browse. “It’s okay if somebody doesn’t buy. If you’ve educated them and explained why farmers market food is better – why farmers markets are so important – you can make a change in their buying patterns.”

The market is only 150 yards from a school bus stop. “We set up right as school is letting out and a lot of the younger kids will run by to stop and pick out things,” Kathryn says. “We’ve had middle schoolers buy sausage and ground meat because they’re going to try cooking something. This is with their own money. We’ll have a little chat and send them on their way.”

Jerilyn Maclean, another vendor, started the Briar Chapel Native Plant Club about four years ago to restore native ecosystems and protect biodiversity – especially pollinators like bees, butterflies and birds – in the neighborhood. She sells plants weekly at the farmers market and at Woods Charter School from March to June and September to November. Each plant comes with a handwritten sign with care instructions. “All of us are passionate about what we do,” Jerilyn says.

Pittsboro Farmers Market

The Pittsboro Farmers Market stipulates that vendors must grow, raise or make everything they sell within a 50-mile radius of its site at The Plant to ensure fresh, high-quality offerings. Shoppers browse seasonal produce, pastured meats, honey, flowers, granola and prepared foods like hummus and empanadas.

Market manager Mary Medvar describes the space as more than a shopping destination. “The market fosters community,” she says. “For some folks, it’s their social time each week. They see their market friends and connect.” Families bring children, who play while parents shop and learn new ways to cook their favorite foods.

Purple flowers for sale — Jerilyn Maclean sells native plants at the Farmers Market at Briar Chapel to help sustain pollinator populations in the county. *Photo courtesy of Jerilyn Maclean.*

The market, which started in 1997, partners with local food pantry CORA to increase food access. In 2023, the Pittsboro Farmers Market launched a Double Up Food Bucks program, which matches SNAP benefits to help customers buy fresh food. Shoppers can also donate to CORA by purchasing from vendors.

Special events at the market bring extra energy. Tomato Fest in July features a tomato pie contest judged by local chefs, while the Halloween market encourages vendors and customers to dress up for trick-or-treating.

Heartsong Farm owner Emily Fuller appreciates the strong connections she has made through the market. “The shoppers love their farmers,” she says. “They make a point to shop with every vendor. If we have three produce vendors, they’ll buy something different from each one.” Emily grows flowers and peppers, along with garlic, onions and herbs. At first, she wasn’t sure if flowers would serve the community, but the overwhelmingly joyful response to her CSA boxes during the peak of the pandemic changed her mind.

Emily now firmly believes in the therapeutic value of flowers and their ability to feed your heart, mind and soul. Emily’s products can also be found at Chatham Marketplace.