RALEIGH – North Carolina agriculture’s fall bounty will be on full display at the State Farmers Market’s fall Harvest Festival on Thursday, Sept. 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. From pumpkins to apples and sweet potatoes to peanuts, the garden center area located just behind the State Farmers Market Restaurant will be a hub of activity.
The Harvest Festival is free to the public and will incorporate games, information and fun for both the young and the young at heart.
Come taste some delicious sweet potato treats, sip on apple cider, try your hand at pumpkin chunking, grab some recipe cards for later and learn about crops and products grown, raised, caught and made right here in North Carolina.
Experts will be on hand to talk about what grasses grow best in this area, how cotton is grown and will provide the most up-to-date information for your next farm visit. It’s the season of hayrides, s’mores and apple and pumpkin picking on the farm, so the agritourism team has the inside scoop on hot spots to visit.
While you are at the market, enjoy lunch at The State Farmers Market Restaurant, The N.C. Seafood Restaurant or The Market Grill, and pick up items on your shopping list. The market is full of fresh produce, muscadine grapes, pumpkins, mums, gourds, bales of straw, local cheeses and meats, seafood, crafts, baked goods and more.
The State Farmers Market is open year-round, offering shoppers locally grown fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, wines and specialty foods, plus seasonal products from N.C. nurseries, greenhouses, Christmas tree farms, turfgrass and sod. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The market has free parking, is free to browse and is located off Exit 297 on Interstate 40 in Raleigh. For more information on the State Farmers Market events, activities and seasonal charts, visit the website at www.statefarmersmarket.org or follow along on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StateFarmersMarket.
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