Abilene Farmers Market

As Thanksgiving approaches,🦃 it’s the perfect time to think about how we can make our holiday meals memorable, flavorful, and meaningful for our loved ones. Consider heading downtown this Saturday and discovering local flavors that you can utilize to elevate your Thanksgiving meal from our producers at the Abilene Farmer's Market. Details at the link. 🌽🍂 https://ow.ly/ujMQ50Q8PsQ

Don't forget to stop by this morning for your fresh, locally made goodies!

We are here until noon!

It’s not the end of the season till we say so! PICK UP your local veg for the week, your desserts for after dinner, your snacks and your homegrown meat! Pick up the vegetables, handle your shopping list and shake hands with your neighbors all in one place this Saturday morning!

Wow! We had SO MUCH FUN yesterday at our Trunk or Treat! Did y'all?

Did you take a picture? Tag us!

Randy with Abilene Pecan Company, Urban and Melissa with Bear's Bake Shop, and Izzi with win the market vendor costume votes! Which one is your favorite?

Veggies, baked goods, meat, candy... Wait, candy??

Want to know one of the best things about farmers? We show up, rain or shine. The Abilene Farmer's Market will be open tomorrow regardless of the weather! We might get a later start if the rain is super heavy but we WILL be there 8ish-12! And we WILL host our Trunk or Treat from 11-12!

Let's all say a prayer for good weather!

Don’t forget to make us a part of your trick or treat route this Saturday! We’ll have a ton of candy for the kids but also tons of veggies to combat the cavities 🎃🤩👻 and facepainting!

We are super excited about our Trunk or Treat next Saturday from 11-12!

Cannot wait to see the littles in costumes 💜

You can tell we’ve been having cooler weather when the greens start tricklin’ in! Every Saturday morning is your opportunity to support the local businesses that make up our community, so grab a friend and find some cool things to make for dinner this week. Think kale, sweet onions, cucumbers, microgreens, zucchini, beef, pork, eggs, pumpkins, okra and for dessert, watermelons, cantaloupes, baked good, local molasses, fresh picked pecans! Saturday mornings 8-12!

From pumpkins to pumpkin bread, we have it all!
8-12

Come see us tomorrow, Saturday, from 8-12 at the corner of N1ST and Mesquite.

The bakers are baking, the makers are making, the farmers are farming, and the ranchers are ranching getting ready for you tomorrow!

It's National Farmer's Day!

Here's a big thank you to our farmers who work tirelessly to bring fresh produce and goods to the Abilene Farmer's Market weekly!

Come see us Saturday 8-12!

Cooler weather makes the market better!

N1ST and Mesquite
8-12!

🍂🍂 Have you see the forecast for Saturday morning?🍂🍂

This is PRIME Farmer's Market weather! Grab a coffee from and come stroll through the market!

What kind of fall dishes are on your menu this week? Gumbo? Come get fresh okra! Stew? Chili? Smothered roasts or chops? Local beef, pork, and veggies. Want to soak up all the Pumpkin Spice? Check out the baked goods!

Waking up can’t get any sweeter if you’re going to our morning farmers market! Check out all our friendly vendors, ask them questions like “what’s the difference between the chicken and the duck eggs?” “What are you feeding your livestock?” “Are tomatoes done for the season?” “What kind of melon is that?” “What makes the dough sour?” “Where is your farm located?” The grocery store will leave your questions unanswered but we here will always try to answer every one we’re thrown!

*entering fall mode* breaking news everyone 🍂🎃 has pumpkins and she’s hauling from fields, putting em a truck and heading to the market tomorrow! If that wasn’t enough heavy lifting for her, she says she’s got PLENTY of okra, shelled peas, hull peas, watermelon, Israeli melon, and you got to pack a jacket causes it gonna be a cold one! Just kidding, about the jacket part, don’t bring a jacket. Bring your friends though because there’s going to be plenty of baked goods, fresh eggs, local meat and all these other cool things that make waking up early and enjoying that hour or two of 70 degree weather pretty much worth it! 🍁🍂🌻 8-12

Just a cool customer posin’ with his liver from ! If livers not your thing come check out fresh baked pecan pies, beautiful sour doughs, fresh local honey, melons, sweet potatoes, habaneros, pork, handmade beauty products, goat milk soap, puffs, kolaches, eggplant, microgreens, onions, black eyed peas, okra and so much more!

Ask and you shall receive! The cool weather was fantastic for the veg and this Saturday is your payoff! Black eyed peas is abundant, okra is flowing and the watermelon are sweet 🤤



‘s produce

Yes! We are open! 8-12, N1ST and Mesquite. I've talked to most of the vendors and they are on their way so it will be a bit of a late start BUT we are open!

The weather looks like it should clear off here in a bit 😁

Anticipating some cooler weather in our future, our farmers are running on fumes and we are filled with delirious joy just thinking about our forecast! So come and enjoy our last days of “summer” with some shelled black eyed peas, fresh baked bread, local honey slushees, desert king melons, cucumbers, huge t bones, spicy microgreens and Israeli melons!

Have you ever eaten an Israeli cantaloupe? Think a honeydew mixed with a cantaloupe, white flesh, a sweet fragrance and a salty rind. If you haven’t tried it and you’re not a melon person we challenge you to not like this guy, hes heat tolerant and juicy and we think he’ll give you a run for you’re money! Visit this Saturday morning along with all our other wonderful vendors to try things maybe you haven’t tried before! 8-12. Also between 8 and 830 we’ll have a choir singing sweet morning tunes! 🎶

Baked good made with love, vegetables grown with care, check out all our tables because every vendor has something on the table they’ve put together with time effort and loooove! 😍😍

Every Saturday 8-12! Have a happy labour day, we appreciate each and every one of our customers!

Giant melon appreciation post 🙌

Nothing says Labor Day weekend like grilling and biting into a juicy melon soaked in lime juice and tajin! Maybe you like em hot with grill marks or pulsed up in the blender with your favorite tequila! Or maybe the kids like em messy with sticky faces and the bees buzzin’ for a taste, however you like your melon, just know has made sure there’s a fat supply of melons for all your Labor Day needs, be sure to stop by and see her and all our other lovely vendors this Saturday from 8-12, we also have several meat deals going on with and for all your grilling needs! Shop local for all your weekend needs and watch all your guests notice a visible taste difference!

Local veg for local folks! 8-12 every Saturday

Come see us tomorrow, Saturday from 8-12! N1ST and Mesquite

Peaches peaches peaches peaches peaches peaches I will make you mine 🍑🎉 we also have eggs, fresh baked bread, local grown beef, jellies, flowers, honey, carrots, kimchi, soaps, scones, homemade vanilla, salsa, watermelon, cantaloupe and so much more! Come down and support your local farmers market!

O..o...o....o...okra!!!! Tommy just sent me this! 25 gallons of fresh picked okra coming to ya tomorrow! Plus what all our other amazing vendors have (they just didn't get the picture to me first). Those of you that have been asking when we will have enough okra for you to pickle some, I can confidently say tomorrow is your day!!

Saturday 8-12, N1ST and Mesquite!

The pandemic has taught us that we don’t need to be there in person to make the world run, that we can work from home, that we can order our food for someone to drop outside the door, we can visit a museum online and stay six feet apart— that’s not how we operate and that’s not our mission. We want people to peruse again, feel the produce, ask us about it, get personal, tell us about how your mom used to cook it, see people you recognize, take your significant other on a date, breathe fresh air, talk about the weather! We don’t have a lot of agency as the world turns, it feels like a lot of things are out of our control. Visiting a farmers market is a stance, buying directly from farmers is a revolution and we highly recommend the cinnamon rolls 😉

FAQ Part 2

There aren't any pickled eggs, raw milk, or fresh cheeses?

These are not legal to sell. We have to abide by State and City laws, this isn’t our choice but we have to follow these rules. The majority of us operate under the Texas Cottage Food Law which allows us to bake and can in our home kitchens to offer these products for sale, but it also regulates things, like making only allowed foods, labeling our goods, mentioning we are running out of a home kitchen, and labeling allergens that could potentially be in the food we make.

Can I come set up to sell Scentsy/Paparazzi/other affiliate marketing items?

No! Our bylaws strictly prohibit this. Everything you see at the Market is made or grown by the vendor!

Can I sell tumblers?
No, our bylaws prohibit this.

Is it cash only?
Each vendor is different! Most accept cards, but cash is always king!

Can just come set up to sell my puppies/ chickens? No. Our Market Bylaws strictly prohibit this.

Can I just come set up? No. We have requirements that must be met before you have permission to set up. You see most of these requirements in questions answered above. We also have booth rental fees. We also have insurance requirements. We know, you want to just come set up once to see how it goes. But we cannot do that. Each and every vendor you see has put in the time, effort, and money to make sure they meet all city, state, and federal laws along with meeting all insurance requirements. Does that stink sometimes? Absolutely, but this is our livelihood and we take it very seriously. This is also why we have the best vendors with the best products. Only those truly invested and passionate about their products, and the Market, are at the Market.

I read your requirements but my kid just wants to come set up and sell (insert here).. why cant I do this?
Because we hold the bar across the whole table. Our insurance is void if ONE vendor is not insured. Our Bylaws strictly prohibit this. We have learned over the years that it is much better to hold everyone to the same standard than to make exceptions.

We are open every Saturday 8-12! N1ST and Mesquite!

Frequently asked farmers market questions Part 1

What days are you really open? Saturday 8-12!
I know I know we seem pretty flaky when it comes to our hours. We will say 1000 times that WE ARE OPEN EVERY SATURDAY 8-12. As an insider scoop, the hours are with the sun- as a farmer that’s what most of us do, we get up with the sun. So in the summer when sun rises early, our farmers are here early and for the fall and winter seasons the sun is rising later, thus market open a little later. Have you ever heard the early bird gets the worm? At the Market, the earlier customers get the pick of the produce, meat, baked goods, etc.

Now what’s all this talk about Tuesdays and Thursdays? If a certain crop is super abundant for a farmer, setting up on a Tuesday, Thursday is to give you the fresh harvest. We will let you know if there is ever an instance where we are open on these days. For now there is simply not enough produce for our current farmers to be able to set up on a weekday. Most of our farmers travel 30+ miles and this is their job! We all wish we had the produce to be here three days a week, but its just not feasible this year.

It seems like there are a lot of slots open but it seems you have a waiting list for vendors, what gives?

Our farmers market has been open since 1982, and one of the visions of the market is that it would primarily be farmers and for the farmer. Therefore our slots for baked goods, candies, jellies etc are limited. This is also why we don’t accept craft vendors. We are at our heart a food market. We are ALWAYS accepting new farmer applications. And if you have a unique good we encourage you to apply.

We also have farmers who have lost their entire gardens to hail multiple times this year!
(We are also limited by State laws on how many not grower/producers we can have. And our bylaws too)
Is it cash only?
Each vendor is different! Most accept cards, but cash is always king!

You hear the word self sufficient all the time, make your own bread, grow your own vegetables, cook from scratch. We’re here to tell you it’s dang near impossible to do all that stuff yourself and still have sanity left! Self sufficient? Try community support instead, pool together your skills as a community to get some bread baked, grow a garden together! We humans are pack animals and we succeed together! And if you didn’t have time to process your homegrown beef or bake your sourdough this week, it’s okay, we got you covered! Every Saturday 8-12!

Trust it’s been a hot and hard week, thank our farmers tomorrow morning at the market for surviving and showing up! Remember no matter how hot it gets, we’re out there harvesting, catching cattle, hauling water and red faced about it 🥵 Saturday mornings 8-12 (pic of Dons watermelon patch!)

The Egg Lady. That's what we call Sherry.

In truth she has so much more than eggs, but the sheer quantity of eggs her flock produces keeps that nickname going strong! We joke that she has the Dr. Seuss kind of eggs. Green eggs, brown eggs, white eggs, goose eggs, chicken eggs, duck eggs ... She has them all! But she has a more, too! Sherry has vegetables, jams, jellies, pickles, and a variety of baked goods. But that's enough from me, let's hear from one of the sweetest ladies you'll ever talk to.

1) What types of foods do you grow/produce? Okra, tomatoes, Armenian cucumbers, peppers, cantaloupe and watermelon. My chickens and ducks produce eggs

2) Why do you farm/produce? It's a challenge in growing your own produce you never know. This year we got plenty of rain we planted a little late but most of it is looking good.

3) Where is your operation based out of? I live in Aspermont in the middle of nowhere.

4) Name a fun fact about you. Sherry didnt answer this so I'm going to! Sherry not only has a huge flock of chickens and ducks, she has peacocks, geese, and a whole bunch of dogs! Her favorites are Patterdale Terriers, which she raises. She also gets to play superhero at times and rescue her significant other, Bob, when he gets stuck on one of his hunting trips.

5) What do you love about the farmers market? I love coming to the market every Saturday and meeting new people and visiting
with them.

6) What's something an outsider wouldn't know about your industry? Its a lot of work

7) What's your life advice for the younger generations? My advice for the future generation is to work hard and you will succeed.

Come see Sherry and all the other vendors Saturday 8-12 at N1ST and Mesquite!

If you’re serious about your food game, you’re serious about where it’s sourced! Our food has the shortest journey from the dirt to your table! Check us out Saturdays 8-12!

David is one of our "Old Timers". This is an affectionate term we use for those few that have been at the market forever and have more experience an knowledge growing than most of us will ever have. He's a man of few words but an absolute wealth of knowledge.

1) What types of foods do you grow/produce?Tomatoes cukes peppers squash zukes peas carrots etc

2) Why do you farm/produce? It's good exercise

3) Where is your operation based out of? N of Merkel

4) Name a fun fact about you. David didnt answer this one I'm going to add a tidbit about him. David is a man of few words BUT he is always on top of his game and gives great advice!

5) What do you love about the farmers market? The camaraderie

6) What's something an outsider wouldn't know about your industry?It's lots of work


7) What's your life advice for the younger generations? Work hard and then work some more

Did you know eating spicy food on hot day actually makes you cooler? But did you also know that visiting the farmers market supports your local community, encourages you to cook more, teaches your child to try new things and it’s a great opportunity to educate yourself on what’s in season, how your meat products end up on your plate and what’s in your skincare routine! Visit us this morning 8-12 every Saturday!

Let's get to know Sue who owns Cookies N Puffs. Have you tried her two bite pies? I love those, just perfect for someone who wants a sweet but not too much!

1) What types of foods do you grow/produce? I grow great weeds

2) Why do you farm/produce. I love to hear a garden, but my weeds are the best in town. That is shy I would rather bake stuff.

3) Where is your operation based out of?. My Cottage Food operation is in Anson.

4) Name a fun fact about you. My husband calls me the ever ready bunny, because I never stop and rest.

5) What do you love about the farmers market? I love the customers the best at market. Always meeting new people, even from my home town in Wisconsin.

6) What's something an outsider wouldn't know about your industry?
An outsider would not know that the preparation time for market is a week long process with not that much profit.

7)wthat's your life advice for the younger generations?My advice for the younger generation is DO NOT believe that all your food comes from a grocery store. It starts with hard working farmers who put in very long tedious hours to grow, harvest, butcher, bake and prepare food stuffs so you can eat and prosper.

If she can make it to the farmers market so can you! Ask about Sherry’s Armenian cucumbers, jerky, watermelons, Elda Grace’s cinnamon rolls, Papas freeze dried fruit, we have cheap plant starts for all our late gardeners and there WAS okra for the early birds, we are so thankful for everyone’s attendance this year, with many obstacles as a farmer it is fantastic to see everyone’s friendly and encouraging faces on a hot Saturday morning! Go Abilene!

Freeze dried fruit, locally grown meat, sweet watermelons, crunchy okra, fresh baked cookies and farm fresh eggs, make some time to nourish yourself and your family today and put your dollars where it counts, right back into your community!