Buying Local

It seems we hear a lot about "going green", "reducing carbon footprints", and "buying local" these days. It seems like the right thing to do is to protect the land we live on. And to me it does make sense to buy things that were grown close to where you live. I would imagine you get things fresher that way, at the very least.

In Houston, there are several farmers markets that take place throughout the week. I try to take advantage of them when I can.

The Bayou City Farmers Market is run by Urban Harvest and is one of my faves to visit on a Saturday morning. It's from 8am - 12pm every week, rain or shine, in a parking lot just behind the 3000 Richmond building. It's an entire market - you can buy produce, seafood, meats, flowers, soaps, premade meals...you name it. I think I also like it because there's always live music!

Onion Creek Cafe at 3106 White Oak in the Heights also has a Saturday morning Farmers Market. It's a smaller group of sellers, but you can find some great things there. Again, lots of local growers and organic produce.

The Houston Farmer's Market can be found at 2100 University (in the visitor's lot at Rice Stadium) on Tuesdays from 3:30pm - 6:30pm or at the corner of Greenbriar and University on Saturday mornings from 9am to 1pm. Again this is a location where you can find lots of local growers with seasonal offerings aplenty.

The Central City Co-op can be found at 2115 Taft and is open on Wednesdays from 9:30am -6:30pm and Saturdays from 9am -1pm. This isn't a traditional Farmer's Market, but rather is an organic co-op that allows groups to buy larger quantities at lower prices. There is a membership fee for the co-op, but they do allow you to purchase Dollar Day Pass to shop there as well.

The Midtown Farmers Market is located in the parking lot of Monica Pope's T'afia restaurant at 3701 Travis. This market has become a way of life for those who live in the booming area of Midtown and is always a great source of everything from green beans to chocolate.

The Downtown Green Market is an offshoot of Central City Co-op and is located at the Andrea and Bill White Promenade at Discovery Green Park on Sundays from noon until 4pm except during the month of August. Like most of these markets, their vendors are green and sustainable and everything is grown within 200 miles of downtown Houston!

And lastly, there's Canino's Produce at 2520 Airline. It's not a farmers market per se, but they do carry seasonal fresh produce from the area and it's clearly marked that way. Open every day from 6am - 8:30pm, Canino's is a great resource for anyone who loves to cook! I could spend hours inside Canino's as well as walking in the stands behind the store itself.

So, there you have it. Go out and buy local!