So fresh

The goal yesterday was not to visit a farmers market but to make homemade salsa verde (a story for another time but it was goood).  My friend and I went searching for fresh produce and ended up at an honest-to-goodness legit farmers market.

This wasn't one of your "California" farmers markets - hastily set up on the weekends where you can sample cheese and sausage and buy freshly squeezed lemonade for $8 a cup.  This market, located in an industrial building with NO A/C, is open seven days a week from 6 am to 8 pm.  If you exit out the back of the building, you will find independent merchants set up in open air booths - hawking pyramids of produce, dried beans and spices and pineapple and mango snacks on a stick.

A faintly sweet aroma was the first thing that hit me when we walked inside the main farmers market building, which was odd because I expected a more earthy and farm-like smell from the produce.  It became apparent pretty quickly that I have no idea what fresh fruit and veg smell like.  The bonus to this market is that it caters to mainly Hispanic clientele, so there was a variety of different spices and peppers pervasive throughout.  We saw beach ball sized watermelon, jicama, prickly pear cactus and a multitude of fruit / veg that I've never seen or heard of before (what is that green, furry looking fruit or vegetable above in my pictures?)  Make sure your Spanish-speaking skills are up to snuff if you want to bargain but everything there was much cheaper than at a big box supermarket.  The vibrant colours, smells and textures are something that I'm coming back for - that and the Hispanic bakery across the street.  I feel like I've stumbled upon a gold mine here in town.

Comments

  1. What a cool experience! I live in California and while there are those snooty farmer's markets that sell you the $8 lemonade (ugh, San Francisco..), but I do frequent something they call a flea market, which is essentially a farmer's market catered to the Hispanic clientele and they have all the cool looking fruits and veggies that I don't see at conventional markets. :D

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  2. This sounds awesome!! Where was this? I have searched for a great farmer's market to go to

    http://thelittletexan.blogspot.com/

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  3. I usually buy a ton of fruits to enjoy and I find their fruits better tasting and more fresh compared to the supermarket counterparts. Sometimes I walk around and spot little knick knacks that were pre owned. I found quite a few tea cups from England that were just too good to not take home. I visit once a month usually and there is an entrance fee (a whopping $.75 cents :p). Are you in Texas? I'm sure the farmer's markets there are huge!

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  4. Did you get a fuzzy pear to try? I hope you did so we can all know what it tastes like. I don't think they sell anything like that up here.

    I'd love to see your salsa verde recipe. I'm still in search of the perfect one.

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  5. Ooooo...lucky you! That place sounds fantabulous. And I thought I'm good with exotic stuff, but I don't know what that green furry thing is! Hmmmm....

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  6. Dangit, I was hoping you'd tell me what that fuzzy avocado looking thing was! :) I love your composition of photos....it's making me want to go do the same thing at our markets here!

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  7. I still haven't been to my local farmers market. My last job was produce clerk for a grocery store, so it was a bit of a conflict of interest. And by that I mean I don't like to be around produce when I get my break from it.

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  8. Okay... I NEED your salsa verde recipe!! Pretty please? :)

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  9. Desert kiwi??? I love places like that, but none are within "errand" distance. We only have the weekend pop-ups. I think I've mentioned that in my youth we grew a nice variety of fruits and veggies....the smells were nice, usually. :)

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  10. Ooh, I love me a good farmer's market!

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  11. wow, sounds good. I visited Melbourne's Queen Victoria market the other day and so got into the mood for cooking, you wouldn't believe...

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  12. Great find. I'm wondering, what is that fuzzy green fruit/veggie? It looks like a chayote but I've never seen them so fuzzy.

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  13. That Farmers Market sounds AMAZING - I wish we had something like that here in New England! Unfortunately we only have those ones on weekends :/

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  14. I love farmer's markets. We have an indoor market that's open everyday, year round, but it's not individual vendors. And we have an outdoor stall market that lines 9th Street called the Italian market, but it's all Mexicans. Still, there is something awesome about it. I speak no Spanish, so I rely heavily on hand gestures to negotiate :)

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  15. This looks like an AMAZING market! What a cool discovery!

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  16. Oh my gosh that sounds AMAZING. There's a farmers market near me but it's one of the hastily set up ones and it only operates during the last spring to late autumn seasons.

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  17. Wow.. that is so awesome.. reminds me of bazaars back home

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  18. I love market places :) Makes me want to buy up everything there is, even if I don't eat it!

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  19. mmm I LOVE homemade salsa, and farmers markets!

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  20. Love you mention the $8 lemonades at "farmers markets"...it's so cool you got to go to an authentic one and I love all your fresh fruit pics. Sometimes there is nothing tastier than fresh fruit!

    xoDale

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  21. Oh, farmer's markets are the best. Though we don't exactly have the best ones, in my little suburb by PIttsburgh. XD
    I think I like the markets in China the best - the fruits are so fresh and juicy there! Of course, one has to be careful to pick the ones that won't cause the stomach to freak out.

    ♥ x i x i a | thisisxixia.com

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  22. That furry thing looks pretty awesome. I would like to try it!
    I love markets like that...where you can get fresh fruits, vegetables and spices. I am a huge fan of spices!

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  23. Oh, I am filled with envy that you have this resource so close by. I've been disappointed in our FMs, and they're not easily accessible. This looks like a gift!

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  24. Oh, I am filled with envy that you have this resource so close by. I've been disappointed in our FMs, and they're not easily accessible. This looks like a gift!

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  25. This is awesome! I wonder if there is something similar in Portland. And I am so curious about your salsa verde - something I've always wanted to make. I could drink the stuff.

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