Farmers Market Report: Sept. 1

Is this not the absolutely cutest farmers market picture ever??!?! Well, it's up there, anyway. First, the weather: It is going to be hot and humid tomorrow, so shop early if you can.

It is supposed to be hot and humid all week, with our first norther coming in about 8 days. (I cannot wait!) So next weekend should be much nicer.

Which is great! Because next weekend the brand-new Sunday Mueller Farmers Market is going to open up in North Central Austin where the airport used to be. The market will take place on Sundays from 10am-2pm, in the historic Browning Hangar. Take note: not this weekend, next weekend, and it's on Sunday.

Remember how Texas Daily Harvest is no more? Well their Austin farmers market liaison, Ruth Wilmore, is now working with Mill-King Dairy, and she hopes to be able to bring Greek yogurt, buttermilk, and drinkable yogurt back to the market eventually. For now, she is bringing Mill-King products to the Barton Creek Market. (Mill-King has been selling at the Downtown and Sunset Valley Markets for quite a while.) Mill-King is a low-temperature pasteurization dairy, so their line of products are just as digestible as Texas Daily Harvest used to be. Mill-King currently offers: Milk, Cream, Cheddar, Cheese curds, Queso Fresco, Fromage Blanc, and Mexican Mozzarella. I bought a wedge of Mexican Mozzarella last Saturday to use on home-made pizza, and it was wonderful. Really s t r e t c h y, and a very nice flavor.

IO Ranch Lamb was passing out samples of their new lamb sausage last week at Sunset Valley. As he handed it to me, the IO Ranch man said, "I think maybe I didn't use quite enough salt--let me know what you think." Well, it was great! I cooked them up in a pan, and had them with a bowl of fresh cream peas simmered with onion, peppers, and garlic. The sausages were nearly as mild as a lamb chop, and will no doubt be an economical alternative to the pricier cuts.

I tried a new product last week,  Pate Campagne from the Letelier Food Company. It is a country style pork pate made with brandy and pistachios, and along with a fresh baguette from Baguette et Chocolate and a container of Green Chile Chèvre from Swede Farm Dairy, I was set for the whole weekend. No, literally, that is all I ate, all weekend long. Letelier Food Company sells at both the Sunset Valley and Downtown Markets; they were sold out of their mushroom pate when I got there, I am totally going to buy some of that tomorrow!

The famous Stephanie of Confituras was manning her own booth last week at Sunset Valley (you never know which market she will be at! Right now Confituras is selling at the SFC markets, Downtown and Sunset Valley) and here is what she will be bringing to market tomorrow: Ginger Pear Preserves, Apple Hatch Chile Chutney, Texas Fig Preserves, and Bourbon Brown Sugar Peach Preserves.

A relatively new vendor, River Bottom Farms, brought the very first fresh Kale of the season to Sunset Valley last Saturday. It's awfully early for Kale, but he says he will have it every other week until temperatures cool down.

What you can expect in Abundance: Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, watermelon, cantaloupe, okra, onions, potatoes, squash of every variety. Hard pears, pomegranates, green persimmons (the hard Asian kind), basil.

Things I saw last week that might still be available: cucumbers, arugula, sweet potatoes, garlic, amaranth greens, early kale, figs, and maybe apples: Bat Creek Farm said that their next variety will be coming in soon, so that could mean tomorrow! They are Downtown.

To end on a happy note, here is a photo of the cleaned-out Sand Creek Farm Table. Now that's a good day at the Market!