People, people, people! I finally got to take a few trips to some local farmer's markets this weekend. I wanted to check everything out and see what all was offered by our local farmers and keep the business going in our community.
I started out on Friday night by going to the Bedford Farmer's Market. On Saturday morning, I made it to the Rufe Snow Farmer's Market, then Ridgmar and finally Cowtown Farmer's Market. The markets in Bedford and off of Rufe Snow both are a small market selling local produce, hormone-free meats, tamales, salsas, dressings, bread...it is like a small grocers. I like the idea of these two markets since they are closer to home than the other two that I went to; which makes it easier for quick trips during the week.
The other two I went to were Ridgmar and Cowtown. The Ridgmar market was similar to the first two I went to but larger. They had more of a variety of fruits and also carried fresh eggs. The strawberries I bought here smell soooo good! I just kept sticking my head in my bag after I purchased them so that I could keep smelling them. ;) Inside there is a wide variety of canned items (homemade preserves, pickles, etc.) and a variety of nuts and candies. There was also a small BBQ place inside if you needed a quick meal during your weekend shopping.
After Ridgmar, I went to the Cowtown Farmer's Market. This one was definitely my favorite and I only wish I had gotten there sooner. They are currently open every Wednesday and Saturday from 8 -12 (or when they sell out for some vendors). I arrived late so some of the vendors had already left. This was more like a row of tents set up by each farmer/vendor who is out there to personally sell their product to you. It is a great opportunity to talk to the people working so hard to make the foods/products. Some of the vendors even let you taste their products before you buy and I even had a great pork tamale!
I think one of the best foods you can eat fresh is a tomato. I planned on growing some this year but unfortunately things did not turn out as I had hoped (I only produced one that wasn't eaten by something else). So to be able to buy some fresh tomatoes at the farmer's market made my day. I needed to make a tomato and mozzarella salad for work on Monday and they had exactly what I needed.
I also bought some homemade strawberry preserves from Dolly's Jellies and it is fantastic! I had to taste it as soon as I got in the car and since then I have had a couple of biscuits, some crackers...I can't find enough foods to put jelly on! There was a variety of flavors so the next on my list to try is blackberry.
I can't wait to go back another weekend and I will try to get there when they open so that I can check out the grass-fed beef, fresh breads, homemade granola...*sigh*..so much great food! It is worth the drive to get food that tastes so much better, fresh and comes from a local business.
I made two tomato salads. I love grape tomatoes and Cowtown Farmer's Market was the only place that sold them. ;)
