Introducing New Faces at our SFC Farmers' Markets

Introducing New Faces at our SFC Farmers' Markets

April 24, 2019 Sergio Torres, Farm Direct Coordinator

Hello everyone, my name is Sergio Torres, and I am the Farm Direct Coordinator for the SFC Farmers Markets. My job is a stealthy one, but yet, an essential role at the market; I oversee everything related to applications and onboarding of new vendors. This job has taken me to all sorts of corners and turfs in the state of Texas and led me to meet some amazingly interesting people that renew my faith in mankind with every interaction. You too will get to learn about them in the next few paragraphs.

Imaingine you just arrived to our Downtown market. The far south row of the market is what we call “Farmers Avenue” where all of our beloved farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers put their tents. It's the first place you want to check out when you get to the market.

This spring has brought us 3 excellent new farmers into our roster. Make sure you stop by their stalls to stock up on veggies before they run out!

First I want to introduce you to Ryan Farnau from the F-Stop Farm. Ryan is a powerhouse when it comes to farming. He operates an urban farm on the East side of Austin. The farm, in fact, is his own yard, which he has been able to maximize in order to grow on every single inch of land! He uses organic and sustainable practices and his operation has grown so much that he even got the neighbors involved!

Recently he was able to acquire additional land near Eden East and is also making his own brand of fermented products! Ryan is a true example of how to do urban farming right. Nothing can stop this man.

Walking down a few feet away from his booth, you will be able to find our friends from Herban Austin, a local farm located just east from Highway 183, specialized in raising medicinal and culinary herbs. The Farm is operated by Nicole Finkelstein, a longtime Austin resident and seasoned farmer with a love for wellness and bringing the best out of people.

Stop by to stock up on dry and fresh herbs, and medicinal tea blends, as well as plant transplants, and other wellness products! As her operation grows steady with the support of her loyal customers, she hopes to one-day host herbalism classes and build a community around wellness and the care of the earth.

You can’t leave "Farmers Avenue" without checking out the latest addition to our farmer family: Cassiopeia Farms, a family operated farm located in southeast Austin. The farm is operated by Sam and Dan Eberhadt, longtime Austin residents and farmers' market regulars! Their goal is to give back to the land and for that they transformed their whole property into a farm using permaculture principles.

Their operation is just starting out but they have amazing projects coming soon in the near future. For now, they specialize in bringing the most beautiful cut flowers and flower arrangements to market, but please make sure you get there early because they sell out fast!

Did I mention they also sell compost tea? You can buy a gallon jug with the necessary ingredients to make your plants happy; just don’t drink it, its tea for plants, not humans!

Now that you have gotten your herbs and veggies, you are probably ready to check out the rest of the market. I would recommend starting with the stellar duo of Miche Bread and Barton Springs Mill.

Miche Bread is operated by our friend Sandeep, an excellent baker that has made a mission of providing the best bread to you. Part of his secret is his sourcing. He works to get the most out of the flour from the mighty Barton Springs Mill, an artisan local mill specialized in stone-milled heirloom and landrace grains.

Located right outside of town in Dripping Springs, Barton Springs Mill works with local Texas farmers to offer ancient grains that have been cultivated in the area for over 100 years! All of their farmers use sustainable organic practices, and their crops are derived from seeds provided by Barton Springs Mill themselves - which guarantees that you are getting the best product available.

By now you are probably quite hungry, but worry not! Our friends from Ninja Pig got you. Ninja Pig specializes in smoked pork dishes and they have the best pork tacos I have ever had in my life.

Owned by Nikki and James, they pride themselves in sourcing all their meat and veggies from local farmers and ranchers. Not only they have the best business name I have heard in ages, but they also offer delicious gluten-free, corn and soy free tacos and sandwiches! Their pork is worth waiting in line and I am sure you will want to come back after you try it!

Just a few stalls down the road you will find true artistic inspiration. Owned by the sweetest Francisca Mares, Manos Creativas brings you the cutest handmade gifts made out of recycled materials. Don't sleep on this because you won’t believe what she can do with old newspaper until you see what she can make!

From baskets to complicated floral arrangements, she can do pretty much anything with any material she finds. Find her on a sunny day and get lost browsing her vast array of products. She doesn’t speak much English, but her son will gladly help you translate your excitement to her.

Let the soothing smell of burning essential oils guide you to our next vendor. Located right next to Francisca’s booth you will find the ever-calm, always smiley Jean Paul Pretto from Gojema Candles. Made with 100% natural beeswax from a local honey company, Gojema candles are infused with essential oils perfect to alleviate stress and a perfect introduction to the fascinating world of aromatherapy. Gojema is a small family-owned company devoted to helping our community and the environment. You will just love to hanging out right next to their tent!

Moving on to the other side of the market you will meet our friend Jessica Hawkins from Harper and Soul Provisions. She has already grown to be one of our newest, brightest personalities at the market - you will be able to hear her excitement before you even get to her booth!

She roasts and prepares her nut blends herself and is passionate about bringing you a high-quality product using spices sourced directly from farmers at the market. All flavors are paleo friendly and gluten-free - ensuring everyone is able to try this healthy mix. They are perfect for taking with you on a hike or to eat for breakfast!

As her business grows so do her ambitions. She often experiments with new roasts using different flavors sourced from partnering vendors; make sure to grab a sample when you stop by.

At this point, you are probably feeling extra energetic. Just make sure you don’t walk too fast or you will miss our friends from Eats for Kids!

Eats for Kids is owned by the lovely Lena Ognyanova, who brings ready to eat, packaged, well-balanced meals for kids. You will want to eat them too once you realize that everything she puts in these meals is sourced, almost in their entirety, from local farmers and ranchers at the market. Her meals are perfect for parents who want to make sure that their kids can take something delicious and healthy to school while also supporting the local food system.

Hopefully you are not too tired already because we are now taking a trip across town to our Sunset Valley market! Park anywhere, because this place is huge. Here you can relax under the shade trees and let kids and dogs play in the vast garden adjacent to our market.

The first vendor I want to introduce is one of our newest farmers. Garrison Park Market Garden, operated by your neighbors Bobby and Janet Heskett. They may be your neighbors in the most literal way - their farm is located just a few blocks away from the Sunset Valley market in the Garrison Park area. The Heskett’s have turned their backyard into a beautiful produce garden!

The Heskett’s grew up growing their own veggies in raised beds and both of them are incredible go-getters; you would be amazed by how much work they get done at their garden just by themselves! Originally they were using the produce for themselves and distributing the rest among their neighbors but now they are ready to share the profits of their harvest with all of our customers at the market. Eventually, they want to open up their garden for the south Austin community and they have very ambitious projects already in motion for the rest of the year.

Finally, we have an exciting addition at the Sunset Valley market. If you have a dog you must absolutely stop by our friends from River Ranch Raw. Even if you don’t want to, your pet will probably pull you toward their booth!

River Ranch Raw is owned by Doug and Jessica Garwood. They started with a dog boarding ranch where they hosted dogs while their owners were abroad. After a few years of hanging out with these lovely animals, they decided to launch their own brand of healthy, raw, and locally sourced brand of pet food! They make sure that your pet gets the best quality of meat possible, sourced from Texas ranchers. Be sure to grab a treat for your four legged friend!

I have had the wonderful opportunity to personally meet every single one of these business owners, and I have to say that each and every one of them is a true inspiration for everyone out there trying to chase their dreams. All these new faces may be quite different from one another, but I can guarantee you that they share a burning ambition to make things better for their community.

Treat yourself and find some time to meet these lovely inspiring humans at our markets. You can find them all every Saturday in between 9 am and 1 pm, rain or shine, at our Downtown market at Republic Square Park and our Sunset Valley market located in the Toney Burger Stadium parking lot.