Fresh cherry tomatoes. Baby zucchini. Creamy goat cheese with fresh local blueberries and butter pecan honey granola.

These and more are found every Thursday at The Market at Ag Heritage Park, which extends until the end of September.

Those same ingredients also find their way on the farm-to-table menu every Thursday night at Ariccia's "Veni Vidi Vino" in The Auburn Hotel and Conference Center.

Miguel Figueroa, restaurant chef at Ariccia, picks produce each Thursday at 3 p.m. and returns to create a 3-course menu to be ready by 5:30 p.m.

"Veni Vidi Vino" includes the farm-to-table menu as well as half price wines by the glass that have been paired with the evening's course.

"I love it because its a challenge," said Figueroa, who has been at Ariccia for two years and worked previously in Key Largo and the Porto Fino Bay Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

Figueroa said he has formed direct connections with some local farmers because of the Market.

Most of the produce and even meat for Ariccia and its sister Piccolo, is purchased as close to home as possible.

"It's hard, and for some ingredients, it's impossible," said Figueroa.

But, Figueroa strives for supporting local foods.

Even the farm-to-table menu quotes, "Don't buy food from strangers."

"Why buy something from thousands of miles away, when you can get it five minutes down the road?" said Figueroa.

Katie Jackson, first manager of the Market, said the market began with some women at the College of Agriculture reminiscing about old Auburn days.

In those days, farmers pulled into the campus parking lot and sold produce straight from the truck bed.

Apparently parking was not an issue back then.

Eventually, Jackson managed to bring a few farmers together in 2005 for what became The Market at Ag Heritage Park.

Even with such humble beginnings, the Market now includes bakers, students, homemakers and many farmers.

Customers can find local shrimp, beautiful bouquets, whole wheat bread and fine goat cheese. All local.

They can even roll their own bag of oats.

Rod Haven and Mike Kosolapoff represent a unique part of the Market. They sell blueberries and donate half of their profit to build Habitat homes.

"We have doubled our profit every year so far," said Kosolapoff.

Students in the Horticulture Forum club on Auburn's campus use the Market to sell homemade jellies and ice cream to raise funds for educational excursions. Last Thursday samples of honey lavender ice cream where available for market-goers.

For more information about The Market at Ag Heritage Park visit http://ag.auburn.edu/themarket, which includes links to websites of the vendors to learn more about Alabama produce.


Find more videos like this on The Loveliest Village