Harvest Local Goodness at Mueller Farmers’ Market

Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller, known by locals as Mueller Farmers’ Market, is a slice of farm-fresh heaven in east Austin. The setting alone is dreamy, as the market sits in and around Austin’s first airplane hangar in a charming waterfront park. Though harvest season is upon us now, the market overflows with freshly-reaped goodness year-round.

Austin’s rich soil and wide open spaces are home to a recent proliferation of urban farms and ranches. While life here is always abundant, our farmers’ markets showcase this rich bounty perfectly. Mueller Farmers’ Market is one of my favorites. Read all about its treasures here.

Prepare for Takeoff

Walk across the grassy lawn toward historical Browning Hangar, where a handful of food trucks beckons you closer. Listen to children’s laughter as they play with hula hoops, request balloon animals from a friendly clown, or ride ponies on the adjacent lawn. Grab some caffeine to fuel your market adventure. I suggest the adorable new coffee truck, Compass Coffee, for starters. Its Wild Gift Coffee hit the spot, and the team served it with big smiles and enthusiasm.

Coffee in hand, mosey through the hangar. Perhaps pick up a map or learn about composting at the welcome booths. The hangar used to house all of the booths at the market, but with growth and plans to add more weather protection to the booths, the vendors now stretch across two full rows along Lake Park’s shores. The sample table at the entrance offers tidbits ranging from hibiscus-watermelon aguas frescas, to sunflower seed hummus, to freshly-baked bread. These snacks served to whet my appetite for the vendor booths further in.

Down to the Nitty-gritty

From there, let the shopping extravaganza begin! One recent Sunday at Mueller Farmers’ Market, I tasted every sample, tried every lotion and potion, and chatted with many of the vendors. They told me their stories with excitement and pride. It’s no surprise they speak animatedly about their wares, harvested or created from nature’s gifts.

Mueller Farmers’ Market showcases a varied yield from local farms. Whether you’re looking for fresh fruit and veggies, flowers, eggs, cheese, pastries, salves, or even heavenly brisket, Mueller vendors deliver the goods. I could wax lyrical about most vendors at Mueller Farmer’s Market, but instead I’ll give you the highlights. It all began when I caught a whiff of smoked meats and made a beeline to the Mum Foods booth. I’m puro Texan, after all.

And so it goes:

• Mum Foods: Mum Foods makes exquisite, tender brisket and Texas-style pastrami. It uses only Texas-raised beef and often sells out at the farmers’ markets around town, including Mueller. Avoid the rush by pre-ordering online, or hightail it to Mueller early to buy some meat.
• Buddha’s Brew: Buddha’s Brew goes back to its farmers’ markets roots at Mueller, offering kombucha from the tap and in bottles. Seasonal spicy mango is a crowd pleaser. After all, what’s a day without a good probiotic?
• Local Leaf Yaupon Maté: Yaupon is North America’s only native plant with caffeine. Local Leaf’s founders sustainably wild-harvest the leaves, and cold brew the leaves for an even smoother finish.
• Mom & Pops: Tasty popsicles, made from locally-sourced, sustainably-collected ingredients. It also sells agua frescas, refreshing drinks of Mexican origin with fresh fruit juices or ingredients like hibiscus.
• Pure Luck Farm & Dairy: Two words: goat cheese. The team milks dozens of goats daily on land in Dripping Springs to make award-winning chevre, feta, and blue cheese. Try the cracked black pepper or mixed herb chevre for a lavish treat!
• Julie Myrtille Pàtisseries & Co.: French pastries and savory quiche made by a real French pastry chef and culinary blogger now based in Austin. Chef Myrtille’s creations are airy and delicious.
• Johnson’s Backyard Garden: East Austin’s standard bearer at this point, the Johnson’s booths and CSA (delivery) boxes tend to be the showiest at Austin’s farmers’ markets, with a colorful range of fresh produce.
• Gray Gardens: This Buda-based vendor had the prettiest peppers and tomatoes at Mueller during my visit.
• Soul Popped: This former education advocate and mother of a special needs child started her business wanting to create a healthy snack to suit her son’s particular tastes. She came up with this line of flavored popcorn. While she goes all out with flavors such as chicken and waffles, I personally prefer the buttery corn-off-the-cob and dill flavors.

Keeping It Green

When I told friends I was writing about Mueller Farmers’ Market, they jokingly helped by calling out related words: organic, local, sustainable. They weren’t wrong. Those words were bandied about with ease at the market, as they should be. It’s easy to forget we live in the Austin bubble, where most people appreciate and seek out sustainable options.

Ways to keep it green at the farmers’ market include bringing reusable bags for your purchases or refillable bottles for things like kombucha or cold brew coffee, riding a bike or public transportation, or carpooling, ideally in an environmentally friendly car. Chevy was kind enough to let a group of us bloggers drive around the city in the new, 100 percent electric car, the Bolt EV, which can go from 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds and can travel 238 miles when fully charged. It’s another green option.

Sunday Funday at Mueller Farmers’ Market

I love Austin for its love of green living. It makes me want to be a better person and find ways to protect Mother Earth. Hippie-style tree hugging is all right with me. Mueller’s farm-fresh fare checks all the boxes for local love. Take time to chat with the vendors/founders/farmers at the market. They might spin a yarn about their farm or product; everyone here has a story.

Mueller Farmers’ Market is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. Meandering through the stalls and Lake Park is a delightful way to spend a Sunday alone, or with your friends, family, or dogs.

 

@theAustinot wants to know:

What are your favorite vendors at Mueller Farmers’ Market?