By Eileen Mattei

The number of farmers markets in the U.S. has doubled in the last 10 years, and Harlingen is among those lucky locales.  The Harlingen Farmers Market is back in business after a two month break. Now on “A” Street opposite New York Deli, the outdoor market is again bringing freshly-picked, locally-grown fruits and vegetables to our homes and helping us eat healthier.   Beginning at 3 p.m. every Saturday afternoon, the Farmers’ Market covers half a block and resembles a neighborhood party. At their tables laden with greens, squash, and eggs, farmers greet loyal customers and new visitors.  Friends laugh out loud and show off what they have bought. Dogs on leashes accompany their masters who are checking out the Valley’s bounty in the shade of tall oak trees. A woman with an armful of oranges walked past with a friend, visiting from Austin, who was hefting a bag of grapefruit. 

“I’ve done home gardens all my life, eating what the rabbits don’t get,” said Arnold de los Santos. In front of him, mounds of crisp red radishes, mustard and arugula grown without pesticides enticed shoppers. “Do you have romaine today?” a woman asked de los Santos. “Not yet,” he told her. This year planting was delayed by rain and hot weathers.   

Fresh baby okra “just picked this morning” attracted people to the Cactus Farms stand.  “We started growing our own because we love vegetables,” said Wayne Wells. His wife Maricela, who has pickled the tiny okra and packaged them in attractive jars, offered me a tasty sample. A great gift idea it seemed. 

Buckeye Farms was doing a booming business in locally-grown lamb, pork and sheep. “Let us know how it turns out,” grower Ralph O’Quinn told a woman leaving with a fresh ham from the farm.  His happy customers do come back. “I bought a rump roast two weeks ago from you, and it was fabulous,” the next  woman told him.   O’Quinn said it is hard to keep up with demand and the details. The local lambs are slaughtered four hours north in a USDA approved facility. 

If you asked how to cook with lemon grass or what to do with kohlrabi or vine spinach, the farmer or a bystander happily responded with recipes and advice.  “Kale is very good for you:  lots of Vitamin E.” 

The bright colors and fresh appearance of the vegetables presented a big temptation to buy some of everything:  bright orange habanero peppers, white eggplants, bitter melons, Italian blend alfalfa sprouts, and fresh pecans. Tables of fresh herbs and leaf lettuce and tomato seedlings paved the way for truly homegrown veggies.    

Freshly baked breads and cookies, Thai sauces, farm eggs in different colors, sugar cane were available  one week.  Each week,  new vegetables are ready to harvest and appear in the market. Someday soon, the new crop of tomatoes will be ready to eat.    

The farmers are happy to connect with people who appreciate fresh vegetables as much as they do, according to Kate McSwain. She’s starting a community-supported agriculture cooperative where people can sign up for a cornucopia of naturally-grown local foods.  It is recreation of a popular program in her former home in Seattle.      

The Farmers Market is something to grateful farm on Thanksgiving Day.