While visiting my sister Jeannine in Beaverton, Oregon two summers ago the children and I attended the Beaverton Farmer's Market. It was stunning to see all the glorious flowers and plants. We walked rows with berries, melons, tree fruits and vegetables. We had a delicious breakfast of homemade pastries and strong coffee ... hot cocoa for the children. There was a park nearby and the children enjoyed playing on the playground while live music played nearby.
My sister had booths she visited regularly to get flowers for her home or plants for her porch. She knew the best location for breakfast pastries and what booth to watch for a new crop of the best peaches. She couldn't believe I would pay for baskets of berries (a bargain for me compared to the Texas grocery stores) because she knew where to pick them for less. We shopped for local honey and found a wonderful booth with specialty goat cheese (a family favorite). It was one of our favorite memories of visiting Oregon.
So I have been searching for farmer's markets near the Brenham/Bellville area for something similar. Brenham holds a farmer's market in a small building downtown. There is often less than ten tables set up with items for sale. One booth sells great cakes and pies and one delicious tamales but there is not a lot of produce. So we go there from time to time and the children enjoy getting breakfast burritos or grilled sausage. Most of the time we don't find anything different from what Papa John (my dad) grows in his garden. I was longing for organic, heirloom vegetables, unique herbs and foodie items like cheese, local raw honey (great for allergy relief), whole grain breads and raw goats milk.
While searching on the internet I came across an advertisement for a Saturday market in Round Top, Texas. Round Top is the smallest incorporated town in Texas with a fun square, funky shops and a few restaurants. So this last Saturday Robert, Papa John, the children and myself loaded up in the suburban to go to the Farmer's Market. We took the back roads and enjoyed the rolling hills and beautiful scenery. We arrived in Round Top to find ... one lone tent with two tables and one woman. Since breakfast from the farmer's market was out of the question we headed to Klump's for breakfast ... which was very good by the way.
We headed back to the "tent." Papa John and I got out of the car to see what the woman was selling. She had potatoes, squash, and onions. She also had canned vegetables, jams and pepper sauce. Plus she was selling fresh eggs from her free range chickens. Papa John purchased one dozen for himself and one for me. The dozen included white eggs, light to dark brown eggs and beautiful pale green eggs. While making our purchase another woman asked the owner of the "market" why she wasn't across the square at the "farmer's market" location.
She replied that since she was the only one setting up each week for the farmer's market the area residents decided to cancel the market and stop advertising it. (It's still on the internet though ... hence our trip). She said that since she did not attend the last meeting ... the one about canceling the market .... she was no longer considered a member of the farmer's market and was not allowed to set up at the farmer's market location.
Does that make sense to you?
