Our “almost-year-round” farmer’s market features local honey, nuts, jams, jellies, pickled vegetables, salsa, dressing, herbs, gift items, Circle E Candles, and colorful free-range eggs . We sell locally produced items when possible–look for the bright green labels denoting local products. If it is something we grew, the label will state “homegrown” also. Our homegrown tomatoes are available most of the year in our market.

Several times a year, we offer our own  free-range, hormone-free, antibiotic-free chickens for sale. They are for sale fresh-never-frozen for a couple of days after slaughter date, and thereafter only offered frozen. Quantity is limited to stock on hand, and will not be replenished until next kill date. The flock type varies, with some harvests being fryer-size and others being roasters. But all delicious and tasting like chickens used to taste!

Blackberry picking is usually available starting in Mid-May and only lasts a few weeks, depending on the weather and a host of other factors that can play havoc with our crop. Check Facebook for  most current info regarding picking.

Sometime in late fall, we bring back  Fredericksburg pecans. We have been buying them from Mrs. Segner, grande dame of the legendary Segner’s Pecans, which is now called Fredericksburg Pecan Company. If you’ve never had a hill country pecan, you don’t understand the allegiance people feel to their pecan supplier. Recently, the price of pecans has shot  upward as foreign countries discover the joy of pecans–and they, like us, know the cream-of-the-crop when they taste it. And they want our Southern pecans. We usually are able to offer them year-round, but you never know when the supply will dry up.

In November, we usually get onion sets from Carrizo Springs. Onion sets are tiny little onion plants–about 4-6 inches long with a baby bulb on the end. Each onion seed makes one “set, ” which in turn makes one onion. We try to get Yellow Granex (1015), and maybe one other variety if available. .(These onion sets are for sale  in the market as soon as we get them.) You don’t have to pre-order the sets–just keep checking the website or Facebook for “the onions are coming!” updates. We keep them refrigerated for a few weeks in small bundles, so you don’t have to buy enough for the whole ‘hood. The short-day varieties recommended for our part of Texas start the bulbing process when daylight length reaches 10-12 hours. They take approximately 110 days to mature. The earlier you plant them, the larger they get. Usually.

Late winter brings us to Strawberry planting season. We will offer bare-root strawberry plants – we keep them refrigerated in bags and get them out when you need them. They are approximately 6 inches long and have frizzy roots that  you can lightly trim and keep bagged in your own refrigerator until you get around to planting. Perfectly sized for planting in Strawberry Topsy-Turvys or straight into your soil. After a few weeks, we offer the plants in 4″ pots for sale.

Spring brings out the gardener in all of us, and we are your supplier for locally-grown vegetable plants. We spend our fall and winter days and nights planting our own seeds and nurturing the young plants to be able to offer them for sale in the spring. We get a little adventurous with some of our seeds—if it sounds interesting or strikes our fancy for some reason, we plant it and see what comes up. Sometimes we win, sometimes we grow duds. Some ugly ducklings turn into princesses–so get a little wild with your tomato and pepper plants and you just might find a new favorite!

We  grow stuff during its appropriate season, such as pumpkins, winter squash,  watermelons & cantaloupes. We have jack-o-lantern type pumpkins and also some heirlooms that are great for pies and soups, and will keep into the spring and summer months.

To get the best flavor and enjoy locally produced items, educate yourself about the seasonal availability of your favorites. Or just keep coming in to see what’s new.  Our supplies fluctuate with the seasons, but we get what we can when we can. The joy of being a locavore is getting to partake of everything at its peak!   Updated 3-13-2013