Is there a grocery store in Texas that doesn’t boast a pile of brilliant orange pumpkins this time of year? I never met a pumpkin I didn’t like, from the giants posing for their selfies against the Dallas skyline in today’s illustration, to the miniatures filling bowls in my house with the last of the summer sunshine.
But most of all, I have a yen for the bizarre, the lividly colored, the twisted, the pumpkins so weird you'd think only their mothers could love them.
And to find those, it’s hard to beat the pumpkin patches at the Dallas Farmers Market. Farmers at one booth, a little nonplussed, insisted they had “real” pumpkins. You know, the smooth-skinned symmetrical beauties perfect for carving into jack-o-lanterns. I’m not dissing those. But my heart belongs to the weird ones.
Although jack-o-lanterns mildew within days of being carved, uncarved pumpkins last for weeks. Maybe months, except that after Thanksgiving, I’m tossing them on the compost pile to make room for Christmas decorations.
Not a fan of the color orange? The bizarres come in a range of colors. I like the whites and steel-grays, which mingle nicely with flowers and candy skulls for the concurrent Day of the Dead celebrations. Others are striped, or deep, almost Christmas red, or pastel versions of the traditional orange. Some of the weird vegetables in the pumpkin patches are actually gourds. Never mind, they last as well as pumpkins and add greens and yellows to the color palette.
Booths at the downtown Dallas Farmers Market also carry hay bales, cornstalks, strings of chili peppers and other season favorites. The market at 1010 S. Pearl Expressway is open daily except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The revamped open pavilion for growers, now called the Shed (formerly Shed No. 1) is open 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. In spite of surrounding construction, there’s still plenty of free parking, including a sizeable lot near the Ruibal’s Plants market.
To help carry my loot, I’ll toss the little red wagon I take to plant sales in the trunk of my car. Because pumpkins, even little pumpkins, are heavy.
For more information about the Dallas Farmers Market, see www.dallasfarmersmarket.org/. Smaller local markets may carry pumpkins as well as seasonal produce. And for a list of seasonal, family-oriented pumpkin patches, where arts and crafts and hay bale mazes mingle with pumpkins, I like http://pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/TXpdallas.php/. Be sure to call or check the websites for current information and availability.
Showing posts with label North Texas farmers markets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Texas farmers markets. Show all posts
Friday, October 10, 2014
Monday, April 23, 2012
Totally Texas -- A fresh season for farmers markets
Do your children know where food comes from? Hint -- it didn’t grow in those plastic packages from the big-box stores. You can help them explore by visiting a farmers market (or two or three) now that spring has ushered in fresh crops at North Texas markets. Some markets mentioned here are open year-round, others are seasonal. But everything in this post should have some products to offer at least through fall.
In Balch Springs, Eden’s Organic Garden Center holds markets every first, third and fifth Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon, at 4710 Pioneer Road, with emphasis on organic products. Buys include organic produce, organic dairy products, organic baked goods, and pastured beef. See www.edensorganicsfarm.com/.
The Coppell Farmers Market is open every Saturday 8 a.m. to noon, at 455 W. Bethel Road, between Denton Tap Road and Freeport Parkway, in Old Town. See www.coppellfarmersmarket.org/.
In Dallas, the Farmers Market at 1010 Pearl Expressway is open almost daily (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day), year round. Although many of the stalls were empty of locally-grown produce during the winter, local farmers are here now. Most of the locally-produced products are available on Saturdays. Local farmers are mainly in Shed No. 1; artisanal producers and a food court are in Shed No. 2. Open 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. for retail sales.
In Fort Worth, Cowtown Farmers Market is open every Saturday, 8 a.m. - noon, at 3821 Southwest Blvd. (on the traffic circle). This is a “producer-only” market, with everything grown, raised or produced within 150 miles of Fort Worth. See www.cowtownfarmersmarket.com/.
In addition, its associated North Central Texas Farmers Market Association holds markets at Richland Hills Elementary School, 6980 Baker Blvd. (also known as Highway 10), Saturdays from 2-6 p.m.; and a Pantego Farmers Market at Bicentennial Park, 3600 Smith Barry Road, Saturdays from 8 a.m. to sell-out.
The Grand Prairie Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Market Square, 120 W. Main St. See www.gptx.org/farmersmarket/
The McKinney Farmers Market runs weekly, 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays at Chestnut Square Historic Village, McDonald and Anthony (parking in lot on McDonald’s); and 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Adriatica, 6851 Virginia Parkway. For information, see www.chestnutsquare/programs/farmers_market.asp./
White Rock Local Market is open from 8 a.m. - noon every second and fourth Saturday, at 720 N. Buckner Blvd. at Northcliff Drive in Dallas. This year, White Rock has a growers-only policy, meaning farmers will only bring what they’ve grown or whose farm of origin they can identify. Also new this year is the opportunity to buy from backyard gardeners at the Gardener Table. For additional information, see www.whiterocklocalmarket.com/.
In addition to returning vendors, newcomers include Latte Da Dairy with artisanal goat cheeses, Three Happy Cows with its cajeta (a pourable caramel) and award-winning drinkable yogurts, Citas Salsa and East Dallas’ Noble Coyote Coffee Roaster.
On my last visit, I saw organic produce (including edible flowers), organic eggs, and preserved items, including the fig preserves like I haven’t seen since my nonagenarian neighbor died. Email JuHa Ranch for Saturday delivery of its grass-fed beef and pastured lamb, pork, and chicken at www.juhacattlecompany.com/.
Announcing a schedule change -- Next week, the schedule of this blog’s three sections will change to better fit your needs. Beginning April 30, Wordcraft moves to Mondays to bring you faster news from weekend writing conferences and readings. Adventure classics moves to Wednesdays May 2, for a quick, fun read to get you over the work week hump. Totally Texas moves to Fridays May 4, to help you plan your weekend.)
In Balch Springs, Eden’s Organic Garden Center holds markets every first, third and fifth Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon, at 4710 Pioneer Road, with emphasis on organic products. Buys include organic produce, organic dairy products, organic baked goods, and pastured beef. See www.edensorganicsfarm.com/.
The Coppell Farmers Market is open every Saturday 8 a.m. to noon, at 455 W. Bethel Road, between Denton Tap Road and Freeport Parkway, in Old Town. See www.coppellfarmersmarket.org/.
In Dallas, the Farmers Market at 1010 Pearl Expressway is open almost daily (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day), year round. Although many of the stalls were empty of locally-grown produce during the winter, local farmers are here now. Most of the locally-produced products are available on Saturdays. Local farmers are mainly in Shed No. 1; artisanal producers and a food court are in Shed No. 2. Open 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. for retail sales.
In Fort Worth, Cowtown Farmers Market is open every Saturday, 8 a.m. - noon, at 3821 Southwest Blvd. (on the traffic circle). This is a “producer-only” market, with everything grown, raised or produced within 150 miles of Fort Worth. See www.cowtownfarmersmarket.com/.
In addition, its associated North Central Texas Farmers Market Association holds markets at Richland Hills Elementary School, 6980 Baker Blvd. (also known as Highway 10), Saturdays from 2-6 p.m.; and a Pantego Farmers Market at Bicentennial Park, 3600 Smith Barry Road, Saturdays from 8 a.m. to sell-out.
The Grand Prairie Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Market Square, 120 W. Main St. See www.gptx.org/farmersmarket/
The McKinney Farmers Market runs weekly, 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays at Chestnut Square Historic Village, McDonald and Anthony (parking in lot on McDonald’s); and 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Adriatica, 6851 Virginia Parkway. For information, see www.chestnutsquare/programs/farmers_market.asp./
White Rock Local Market is open from 8 a.m. - noon every second and fourth Saturday, at 720 N. Buckner Blvd. at Northcliff Drive in Dallas. This year, White Rock has a growers-only policy, meaning farmers will only bring what they’ve grown or whose farm of origin they can identify. Also new this year is the opportunity to buy from backyard gardeners at the Gardener Table. For additional information, see www.whiterocklocalmarket.com/.
In addition to returning vendors, newcomers include Latte Da Dairy with artisanal goat cheeses, Three Happy Cows with its cajeta (a pourable caramel) and award-winning drinkable yogurts, Citas Salsa and East Dallas’ Noble Coyote Coffee Roaster.
On my last visit, I saw organic produce (including edible flowers), organic eggs, and preserved items, including the fig preserves like I haven’t seen since my nonagenarian neighbor died. Email JuHa Ranch for Saturday delivery of its grass-fed beef and pastured lamb, pork, and chicken at www.juhacattlecompany.com/.
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Announcing a schedule change -- Next week, the schedule of this blog’s three sections will change to better fit your needs. Beginning April 30, Wordcraft moves to Mondays to bring you faster news from weekend writing conferences and readings. Adventure classics moves to Wednesdays May 2, for a quick, fun read to get you over the work week hump. Totally Texas moves to Fridays May 4, to help you plan your weekend.)
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