For the second year in a row, Dripping Springs farmers market was awarded best farmers market in the southwest by the American Farmland Trust.
Every Wednesday after picking up the kids from school or before dinner, locals head to the Farmers Market from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Triangle, 160 East Mercer, to get fresh treats from their neighbors’ backyards.
The market includes traditional locally grown produce and honey, but Dripping Springs has homemade ice cream made right before customers’ eyes, keto snacks and rutabaga pie that has people traveling to get a bite. As mouthwatering as that sounds, the products are a fraction of the reason that the Dripping Springs farmers market celebrated its 10th birthday with another year being crowned as best farmers market.
“I don’t know if it’s so different, but it’s just a sweet spot, a goldilocks market. It’s large enough to have variety. It’s not so big that you can’t get to know the individual vendors. It’s representative of what a farmer’s market should be.”
–Laurel Robertson, Farmers Market manager
Manager of the Dripping Springs farmers market Laurel Robertson said the size of the market allows for community relationships between vendors and customers.
“I don’t know if it’s so different, but it’s just a sweet spot, a goldilocks market. It’s large enough to have variety. It’s not so big that you can’t get to know the individual vendors. It’s representative of what a farmers market should be. We make real sure that the vendors here make what they sell. Genuine farmers market,” Robertson said.
The farmers market is not only a place to buy fresh goodies, but it has become a hang-out spot for members of the community. Owner of Fran’s Baked Goods Frances Nash has been baking pies at the farmers market for more than a year and said visitors come for the community atmosphere.
“There is a lot of vendors, but I think the music is nice and there is an area to sit down. It has become a meeting place for some people. People bring their dogs. It’s kind of an unusual time, but after people pick their kids up from school they stop on by to get a snack,” Nash said.
Brenham Kitchens vendor Steph Spector said the farmers market is what welcomed her into Dripping Springs and where she met her current boyfriend. Spector, along with many vendors and customers, said everyone at the market is friendly and it goes a long way.
“I left New York to find a community vibe and I found it here. I regularly chat with other vendors. One day we had a super windy market and everyone was helping each other with falling items, helping across the way. You just don’t see people do that often,” Spector said.
