Carden Farms

This is a nice little find on a relatively sparse area along Salem Street. Expanding from their Farm Soap Company in Franklinton, Carden Farms has opened a farmer’s market in Apex. Although it still seems to be getting itself organized, there’s a lot of potential here for anyone wanting to shop local. I spoke to one of the owners (Carol) during my visit, who proudly explained their goal was to source as much from North Carolina as they could. And for those few things not from NC, nearby states were represented. It’s late in the season for produce, but Carden still has some nice winter squash from the NC mountains and tomatoes available. And unshelled pecans — a southern staple — are sitting in a bin outside the door. NC honey, clover and wildflower, is available inside. What makes Carden unique is the non-​food inventory: bird houses made with real tree bark and moss, local firewood, and the natural soaps from the «home farm» Carden Farms in Franklinton, and various made-​in-​NC (or USA) knicknacks. The natural sponges from Florida are larger than I’d expected; and the local (from Apex) hand-​made crochet scrubs are cute and equally as colorful as their box-​store counterparts, but sans synthetics.
In the other half of the store is a freezer with local grass-​fed meats and a cooler with eggs, all reasonably priced. Eventually, as Carden gets fully up and running in this location, they plan on adding breads, cheeses, and boiled peanuts. I’m not sure when this will all happen as they’re still working hard to organize everything. And surprisingly, to complete the total farmers market concept, according to their website, Carden will also offer North Carolina seafood on Saturdays.
I can’t wait to watch this shop expand and hope it becomes a nice alternative to the trek to the Raleigh Farmers Market.