Moore Square Farmers Market Opens To Festive Crowd

Slideshow:

New Farmer's Market in Raleigh

The market is scheduled to take place each Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. until the end of September.

Items to be sold include seasonal fruits, vegetables and plants, pasture-raised meats from local farmers, and goods from local artisans such as La Farm Bakery, Chapel Hill Creamery and Lumpy's ice cream. Wednesday's opening day offerings ranged from blueberries, cookies and homemade breads to fresh cut flowers.

At least 10 and as many as 15 farmers, growers and artisans are scheduled to participate, with a dozen or so on hand for the opening.

"We are far ahead where projected to be," said Nancy Hormann, president and chief executive officer of the

Downtown Alliance

, which is sponsoring the Market. "It's a long awaited amenity that Downtown has wanted to have, and we are getting great response."

Moore Square is located at the intersection of Blount and Martin Streets.

The Market will feature local farms only, with merchants and farmers required to reside within a 90-mile radius of the market. An exception is made for some items such as fruits from North Carolina's mountains.

The Alliance worked with North Carolina State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in putting together the plan for the Market. The Cooperative Extension Service in Granville and Wake County also worked with the Alliance.

"We have solicited really good providers to participate," Hormann said. "Everything that comes here is made by those on the farm, not in a factory."

The Market has its own board of directors and advisory board made up of chefs, growers and "every aspect of the market" as well as marketing people who work in food industry, Hormann said.

The market will be managed by Sherri Harris. Harris was among the people who approached the Alliance with the idea, Hormann said.

"Customers want and deserve to know where their food comes from, so we've organized our market around this premise," Harris said in a statement. "Farmers must either attend the market themselves, or send an employee of their farm who works with the products at least once a week; second-hand selling won't be allowed."