Farmer's Market Finds!

I absolutely love going to the farmer's market.  There's just something wonderful about waking up early, grabbing your reusable shopping bags and heading to a random location to buy your groceries outside straight from the grower.  The only way to get any better would be to head straight to the farm!  Although then, I wouldn't have the gigantic selection I have at the market.

I started going to farmer's markets with my mom when I was in high school.  We would randomly stop by the one in our small town's mall parking lot.  I started going a little more often when I got married and would search for different markets, but none really held up to the expectations I had in my head.  I dreamed of this magical place with people of all sorts from the ones dressed up in "casual dressy attire" (you know, the ones all women dream to be who just "fall" out of bed looking fabulous) to the ones dressed in boho dresses to the ones like me in work out gear and sneakers.  A place that had tents upon tents of everything from fresh produce to poultry and eggs to dairy to fresh cut flowers.  Awww...it makes me sigh just thinking about it.  When we moved to Houston, TX, I had hopes of finding something a little closer to that dream than I had been able to find in North and Central TX, and I did!  One drill weekend, I decided to look up local farmer's markets in Houston and find one called the Urban Harvest Farmer's Market.  I was intrigued by the name so I headed to the website (see HERE).

This picture is straight from the Urban Harvest website...look at those tomatoes!

Ever since the our first trip to the Saturday Farmer's Market in Downtown Houston, I have been obsessed.  This particular market has everything from coffee and ready made food for breakfast and lunches to all the in season produce you can imagine to free range poultry eggs and grass fed beef to artisan breads and jams.  They even have a seller with homemade gourmet chocolates and fudge!  I enjoy every trip out there and today's trip was the best so far.  I got to take one of my good friends, Amanda, and her super adorable baby girl Nora, along with my sweet little red head.  We had so much fun looking through all the fabulous vendors and their treasures.  This was my first time to buy anything other produce and I am so excited!

Here are the things I got on this trip!

A nice shot of all (minus the cookies and poptarts B and I couldn't help but eat)

The 2 baked items left, a loaf of brioche (makes THE best french toast) and a cream cheese pumpkin loaf from Sinfull Bakery.  I love Sinfull Bakery!  Everything there is gluten free and they have a lot of vegan options too!

2 dozen TRUE yard bird eggs (so fresh I found 2 feathers in the container!)  

Here's my husband's surprises from this trip, bacon and kobe beef!  That is only one sirloin steak in the package!

Who would have thought you'd be able to get BBQ sauce and purple macaroni noodles made with beets!

The organic stars of the show!  A box of mixed greens, bundle of cilantro, HUGE green onions, a bag of strawberries, a bag of snow peas, a bundle of rainbow carrots, and a potted rosemary (with a baby mint spout) to add to our herb garden!  

If you have never been to a farmer's market, I highly suggest checking them out.  Beware though, because they are hit and miss.  And if you are ever in the Houston, TX area on a weekend I HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest checking out one of the Urban Harvest markets.  They have them at different locations on different days but I'd be willing to bet they are all wonderful!  

I hope you enjoyed this trip through the market with me and as always, thanks for stopping by!

~Ashley Berry