Every Saturday at the Square, local farmers and artisans form a Farmers’ Market to sell their produce and goods to the San Marcos community.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of The Marc, vendors set up tents and sell their products. According to their website, the San Marcos Farmers’ Market provides an outlet for Central Texas farmers and artisans to market fresh, homegrown crops and products to local consumers. Some of the crops and products include seasonal fruits and vegetables, eggs, herbs, flowers, teas and honey. There will be tents for massaging services, knife sharpening and dog accessories.
Susan Warren, treasurer for the San Marcos Farmers’ Market, said all the produce is locally grown. It does not ship from somewhere else and sit for a week before it reaches the store.
“Locally grown food has so much more taste than food that is transported across the country because it is so fresh,” Warren said. “All the produce that I grow is very fresh, and it will last a long time in your refrigerator because I just picked it yesterday.”
There is an endless variety of produce depending on the season. This spring, San Marcos farmer Daniel Velasquez is selling his locally grown produce.
“This is something I love to do,” Velasquez said. “Growing produce, selling it myself and bringing it to someone’s table is the most valuable and important thing to me.”
Bee Happy Honey, a family-run bee farm, is present on Saturday mornings. Kaci Taylor, market salesman for Bee Happy Honey, said her family has taken part in beekeeping for 12 years. The farm currently has 19 hives on their ranch.
“If you buy honey from the store, even if its Texas honey, it has about 40 different kinds of honey in it. You are not getting the same properties,” Taylor said. “Store-bought honey is also usually boiled and pasteurized, but if you buy it locally it is natural and has all the antioxidants it should.”
River Bottom Farms in San Marcos was out on Saturday selling their all-natural beef. Farmhand Jordan Von Blohn said everything the company does is done with sustainable organic practices. Everything given to their cows is completely organic.
Von Blohn said River Bottom Farms has been coming to the market for about eight years.
“It feels like a family, so we always have a good time,” Von Blohn said. “Almost everyone here is friends or knows each other, so it is nice to come and see family and sometimes new fresh faces in the community.”
San Marcos resident Margaret Falletta said she gets her vegetables and meat from the market because it is more fun and personable to shop there. Falletta said the food is fresher and she knows who and where the goods comes from.
“I know these people and I can ask them questions about the produce, like whether they used pesticides or not,” Falletta said. “And it is more fun because the people here are my friends, so I also come for social reasons.”
For more information on the market or to become a vendor visit their website.