Austinites are lucky bunch. In this vibrant and exciting city, we have access to multiple farmers’ markets each week spread out all over town. I know of at least five markets in the city limits and I am sure there are more that I haven’t been to. For the next few posts, I’ll be introducing various Austin farmers’ markets and featuring a few farmers.
The Sustainable Food Center has an enormous presence in the Austin food scene with its three Austin farmers’ markets at Sunset Valley, Downtown, and the Triangle. Each Saturday morning, I go to the Sunset Valley market held next to the Burger Center parking lot from 9 am to 1 pm. There used to be a larger market there but, a few years ago, the market’s organizers decided to move to the Barton Creek Mall parking lot instead. At that point, SFC formed a market to replace the relocated one and the two markets now coexist quite well. It is a quaint grouping of vendors, with a nice mix of produce vendors with fresh fruits and vegetables, and product vendors selling everything from coffee to chicken. All the produce vendors sell similar fruits and vegetables based on what is in season and whatever you buy will most likely be good.
Even though most farmers sell similar products, I have my favorites. I mentioned Finca Pura Vida in my last post as a great place to buy okra and I’ll extend that claim to just about anything they sell. I have bought most of the produce that they sell at one point or another and I have never had a bad experience. Edgar, the Hispanic man you may see working the booth, is friendly and outgoing, greeting people as they come to the booth and restocking constantly with fresh, beautiful produce. The farm’s phrase is “Beyond Organic,” referring to their commitment to growing heirloom varieties using methods that restore, rather than harm, the land. This means that they sell unique varieties of produce that you cannot get at the grocery store or even at the other farmers’ market booths. In short, I love this place.
The other farms that I love at Sunset Valley include Hairston Creek Farm, Flintrock Hill Farm, and Johnson’s Backyard Garden. Flintrock is especially known for their hydroponic gardens, allowing them to produce delicious cucumbers and tomatoes year-round. Johnson’s has a definite presence at all the Austin farmers’ markets and Sunset Valley is no exception. They always have a line of eager customers waiting with wide varieties of produce in their hands, ranging from tomatoes to sweet potatoes to rainbow chard.
http://uprisingorganics.com/vegetables/chard-beta-vulgaris-3-/rainbow-chard/prod_7.html
Rainbow Chard
In addition to produce, my family buys meat at the farmers’ market almost every week. I’ve never had bad meat from any farmers’ market vendor so I would buy from any vendor who has the cut of meat you want. However, our personal favorite is Richardson Farms. They have booths at both the Sunset Valley and the Barton Creek markets and they sell a variety of high-quality meats, including pork, beef, and chicken. Their popcorn is also amazing. When my family bought our first bag from them, we had a small container of store-bought popcorn sitting in our pantry. Now, whenever we want popcorn, we all reach for the bag from Richardson and the container from the store still sits full on the shelf.
SFC has a unique program in which customers can buy tokens that are worth money at the market. This allows you to use your credit card to buy market produce so you don't have to remember to bring a big wad of cash with you. For a $2 service charge, you can get as many $1 or $5 tokens as you want and use them at any SFC market. The tokens look like this:
And here is a map showing where the Sunset Valley market is located:
I hope you can make it out to the Sunset Valley Farmers' Market!
