Live Austin Music, unique food, fresh, locally grown produce–the Austin Farmer’s market at Republic Square Park combines all of these ingredients every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Austin Farmer’s Market is a growers-only market with dozens of local farmers from the Central Texas Region. Generally, the market restricts its vendors to produce from a 150 mile region. At the Farmer’s Market you can buy fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs and plants. There are also plenty of prepared foods–farm products turned into jams, salsas and honey.
It was mid-morning and I was hungry so I grazed on Breakfast fajita tacos, some savory kolaches, and for dessert, fruit filled turnovers. I also sampled, some local honey, goat cheese, and the “world’s best” hot sauce (which was a rather spicy sauce with a creamy base). We bought a small piece of English Toffee Cake for dessert for the evening. For dinner, we picked up some fresh kale and fresh beets. We sauteed the kale in olive oil and garlic; the beets was made into a borscht with a lovely fresh color. Both dishes highlighted the freshness of the ingredients.
We finished our shopping at the plant vendor–they had a gorgeous basket of container strawberries and lots of fresh herbs. You get a wider variety of herbs at the Austin Farmers Market than you do at most nurseries. Also, with a guarantee that they’re locally grown insures that they will survive in the Texas climate. We ended up picking some Greek Oregano. It’s flourishing on our deck.
The Austin Farmer’s Market combines the best ingredients of the Austin lifestyle–the outdoors, live music, and great food.