TGI-friggin-F, peeps. I normally wouldn’t use this expression, but I’ve been working non-stop for over 7 days, and yo! I need a BRIZZEAK!
Luckily, it’s a big-ol’ 3-day weekend for us working stiffs, and I plan on spending at least part of mine hitting up the Barton Creek Farmers Market (formerly the Sunset Valley Farmers Market) for their annual GO TEXAN “Market to Menu” event.
Just try to tell me you've seen anything THIS good-looking at your local grocer! (photo by Flickr user Bonita Sarita)
As if you needed an excuse to buy organic (you don’t, do you? if so, you may want to check out Food Inc., and particularly their “Get Involved” section), farmers markets are a great way to get to know your farmers in person and buy real food straight from the source. Starting bright and early at 9 AM (rain or shine!) on Saturday, May 29, the Barton Creek event will be featuring the food magic of Beets Café chefs, as well as a wide variety of local vendors, including:
- Way Back When Dairy—fresh springtime butter plus non-homogenized, low temp pasturized milk, cream, buttermilk and yogurt
- Rocking B Ranch—chuck steak, ground beef and beef ribs on special for Memorial Day cookouts
- Smith & Smith—lamb and fresh chickens
- Lenny and his Hot Rock’n Kettle Corn
- Full Quiver—fresh and aged cheeses, grass fed pork and beef, and cultured products high in probiotics like sauerkraut, kimchi, salsa, ginger carrot, pickled beets and beet kvass
- Gundermann Farms—peaches, herbs, a small amount of tomatoes and much more
- Acadian Family Farm—field-grown cucumbers (come early!), green beans, fresh 1015 onion bunches, yellow and zucchini squash, french carrots, beets, radishes and swiss chard
- Fruitful Hill Farm—summer squash, cherry tomatoes, white salad turnips, onions, garlic, beets, radishes, basil and eggs
- It’s About Thyme—antique roses, tomato and pepper plants, potted culinary herbs, spearmint (mojito) baskets and sweet basil
- Star Market—strawberries, new potatoes, squash, onions, cucumbers, fresh garlic, green beans, kohlrabi, turnips, beets, collards, blackberries and peaches
- Caskey Orchards—peaches, apricots and blackberries (limited supply)
- Rocky Hill Orchards—Fredricksburg peaches
- Comanche Creek—pickling cucumbers, green beans, and other veggies
NEW VENDORS include:
- High Country Bison—grass fed and finished ground bison
- Bush Farms—potatoes and tomatoes
- Attagirl—natural line of body and home products
- Gardener’s Feast—all-natural tamales
- A Wild Soap Bar—wildly aromatic, truly natural, native soaps and body balms (with special farmers market pricing!)
- Village Baking Company—”the most delicious bread in Texas,” according to the Barton Creek Farmers Market email! The newsletter goes on to note that Village Baking Company is “an artisan boulangerie producing the finest quality all-natural, Old World style bread. They search for the very best hard white winter wheat flower from farmers across the Great Plains. From mixing the ingredients to baking, their breads are handcrafted by artisans obsessed with quality.” Gotta try some!
ACTIVITIES, for those looking for a good time (outside of shopping for delicious foods, that is), include:
- Jimmy Joe and Alan Roy play at 9:09 AM
- Jiminy Crisket at 10:10 AM
- Special guest at 11:11 AM will be Barton Creek Farmers Market’s very own ceramic artist Roger Holcomb on fingerstyle solo guitar
Fore more info on all the farmers featured at this outdoor market, please check their farmers’ listings here. And don’t forget to download (and print up) the latest coupons direct from the Barton Creek Farmers Market website before you go!
This is why the farmers market is your best bet (photo by Flickr user mysticwit)
Barton Creek Farmers Market is located at the back side of the Barton Creek Square mall parking lot overlooking the city, at the intersection of S. Loop 1 (Mopac) and S. Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360).
P.S. If you’re not feeling up to an early-morning trek to the farmer’s market near you, you may want to consider shopping online with our sponsor, FromTheFarm.com, which brings premium agricultural products directly from family farms across the country straight to your door. How’s that for time-saving convenience?
