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Local Chefs Weigh In: What's Your Favorite Part of the Farmers' Market?

At Sustainable Food Center, it is part of our mission to increase access to healthy food for the Central Texas community. Despite the fact that we run and operate four markets on a weekly basis, the sweat and labor of the farmers who work so hard to bring fresh, local produce to these markets often goes unnoticed. Thus, this August 2nd marks the start of National Farmers Market Week. In order to commemorate our wonderful farmers, we asked some of the best local chefs in town to tell us about their favorite parts of the farmers’ markets and what makes those markets such a special place to be! See their answers below.

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Jennifer Costello & Chris Hurley - The Bonneville

1. What is your favorite vegetable to purchase at the Farmers Market right now? Hands down – Tomatoes. They are abundant and beautifully ripe & ready to eat. The farmers have a gorgeous variety of Heirloom Tomatoes that may not always look so pretty but the flavor is outstanding, each one unique in their varying bright tomato flavor

2. What farm (or Farmer) do you often purchase from at the Farmers Market? There are so many but we love Hairston Farms for so many things (Asparagus, Baby Artichokes, Baby Beets, Peppers) but right now its their Tomatoes , they have our most favorite Tomato Varietal the “Green Zebra”. They are Green and striped when fully ripe but not at all tart. The tomato flavor is bright with a soft acidity, perfect to eat just as is with a little salt.

We LOVE IO Ranch who has become more of a partner than supplier and a very good friend. Jeff works closely with us and we have an ongoing dialogue about what he has in good supply and dishes we want to feature. Through this dialogue we have been able to work our way around the animal in a way that helps us both in terms of product availability and supply as well as cost efficiency. Its this kind of relationship that we relish above all else and look to achieve with all our suppliers

3. Why is it important to you to shop at Farmers Markets? So we can see the actual products and hand select but also to cultivate the kind of relationship/dialogue mentioned above. The farmers and ranchers know their product best and are hugely important in understanding what's happening in our food supply chain. Its very important to have a face to face dialogue with them so we understand not only what they are growing but what is happening in their fields. How their products are being affected by current climate conditions ie: abundant rain to searing heat. By working with the farmers directly we understand what they can offer and they understand what we are looking for so we “grow” together. By supporting the farmers markets directly we are supporting a genuine relationship with food and affecting the food supply chain in a positive way

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Andrew Wiseheart - Contigo & Gardner

1. What is your favorite vegetable to purchase at the Farmers Market right now? Squash!

2. What farm (or Farmer) do you often purchase from at the Farmers Market? Unfortunately I am not able to make time to shop at the markets on a weekly basis. When I do I like to go to Sunset Valley. I appreciate the service that John Lash offers at Farm to Table. It is well worth the extra cost to have his team bring me what I need.

3. Why is it important to you to shop at Farmers Markets? It is important to support local businesses so we can continue to keep Austin weird.

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Jesse Griffiths - Dai Due

1. What is your favorite vegetable to purchase at the Farmers Market right now? Tomatoes or peppers

2. What farm (or Farmer) do you often purchase from at the Farmers Market? Milagro, Simmons, Kubena, Fat Frog, Phoenix

3. Why is it important to you to shop at Farmers Markets? We can source a better product, spend our money in the community and have a personal relationship with our farmers.

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Jack Gilmore - Jack Allen's Kitchen

1. What is your favorite vegetable to purchase at the Farmers Market right now? When Jack Allen’s Kitchen is at the farmers markets, we like to purchase whatever we walk by that is available and fresh.

2. What farm (or Farmer) do you often purchase from at the Farmers Market? There are multiple farmers we take care of at the farmers market.

3. Why is it important to you to shop at Farmers Markets? It’s important for us to shop at the farmers markets because the farmers themselves work their tails off 365 days a year, putting up with mother nature and what’s available. They grow some incredible things and it’s an honor for us to use their product and keep it simple and fresh.

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Joel Welch - Kerbey Lane Cafe

1. What is your favorite vegetable to purchase at the Farmers Market right now? It’s really hard to pick 1 vegetable as I am a fan of so many and all of those farmers can produce some fantastic tasting food. One item that I particularly seek out is garlic. There is nothing like local fresh garlic and garlic is probably the one ingredient that I really couldn’t live without in my cooking. It is so much more sweet and pungent than anything I can ever get at the store.

2. What farm (or Farmer) do you often purchase from at the Farmers Market? For produce I really don’t have a particular one that I prefer. They are all really good and I try to purchase from all of them in order to support them. I do however purchase all of my beef, pork, and chicken product’s from Richardson’s farm. I have been working with them for almost a decade now and have never been disappointed with any of their product. If fact, I find all of the above items I mentioned to be top of the line and they are some of the friendliest people I have met.

3. Why is it important to you to shop at Farmers Markets? It means a lot to me to shop at the market for a variety of reasons. Most importantly I understand what the support from our community means to their business. Farming and ranching can be a very demanding job and without the support from us their hard work would be in vain. Also, using locally sourced food is much more beneficial for the economy and the nutritional value of the products are far superior to those sourced out of state due to the freshness of them and typically the lack of GMO’s, antibiotics, and other harmful products. Overall locally sourced meats and vegetables are better in every way and supports the community that we all thrive in and call our home.

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Rick Lopez - La Condesa

1. What is your favorite vegetable to purchase at the Farmers Market right now? My favorite veggie to get from our farmers has to be the carrot. It is available year-round, and the taste and colors are on point. If I'm not buying those, I go seasonal with heirloom or local grape tomatoes—so delicious! They complete my summer.

2. What farm (or Farmer) do you often purchase from at the Farmers Market? I love to work with David and Katie from Tecolote Farm. I usually buy what they recommend and use it where I can in dishes.

3. Why is it important to you to shop at Farmers Markets? It's great to go to the markets, bump into other chefs and see what they are buying for the night. It's just fun to be out supporting our community and respect the work that our farmers do for the city's restaurants.

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Bryce Gilmore - Odd Duck

1. What is your favorite vegetable to purchase at the Farmers Market right now? Favorite vegetables to purchase right now are peppers and figs!

2. Why is it important to you to shop at Farmers Markets? It is important for us to shop at Farmers Markets because that is where you can find the best seasonal ingredients at the peak of their ripeness.

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Shawn Cirkiel - Parkside Projects

1. What is your favorite vegetable to purchase at the Farmers Market right now? Zucchini & yellow squash

2. What farm (or Farmer) do you often purchase from at the Farmers Market? Phoenix Farms

3. Why is it important to you to shop at Farmers Markets? I frequent the Farmers Market in town with my family and I’m always pleasantly surprised by the quality and personality of all the different farmers at the markets. I think it’s incredibly important to continually support these farmers livelihoods, changing your Saturday shopping routine to pick up your fresh produce makes all the difference, not only for these farmers but for ours and our family’s health.

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Scotty Szekretar - Sway

1. What is your favorite vegetable to purchase at the Farmers Market right now? Right now, fruit is the star of the market. Peaches, watermelons, cantaloupes and figs are really delicious. For vegetables, I would say eggplant and zucchini are very good.

2. What farm (or Farmer) do you often purchase from at the Farmers Market? My favorite stands include Johnson's Backyard Garden, which always has a great selection, and Animal Farm, whose stuff is always high quality. I also often like to grab duck eggs from Munkebo Farm.

3. Why is it important to you to shop at Farmers Markets? I feel it is important to shop at the farmers market because it keeps the local economy strong, and the food is the best quality and freshest available. Organic food just tastes better and is better for the environment.