Market Love: Meet Your Farmers 2

The farmers market is a special place for Howdy Farm to be a part of. It's a community. When we go each week we see the same friendly faces and chat with the same vendors beside us, our neighbors. When all we have is a ton of peppers and okra so we stop going to market (like right now) it gives us a warm feeling to hear from other farmers that we were asked about at the market. "Where are those two girls with all the peppers!?" To get a sense of the special people that make the market home, read about other farmers and vendors from part 1 and part 2 below. 

Amy Decker: Jammin’ Granny Jams & Jellies 

• How did you get your start with jams and jellies: “I started in Tennessee and I came here in – oh gosh- I think 2008 I started here. I watched my mother growing up as a tomboy. She taught me. I learned from the best. I started at market because I didn’t know anyone when I moved here. Everyone was warm. It was a good feeling” – Amy 
  
• Where do you source from for your products: “I try to stay local and pick some of my own fruits”
  
• What Amy loves most about the Brazos Valley market: “In general, the people. It’s a family. I’ve met a lot of super people and super students.” 

Robert & Ann Forsthoff, produce and such

• What do y’all like about market: “He loves to come up here with the people and sell our stuff. We’ve been doing this for 20 years” – Ann. “You can get different things at a farmers market than you do at a store” – Robert. 

Jennifer Windham, David Gibbs & Nancy Williams: Harvest Moon Canning Co. 

• Favorite part about market: the people, the atmosphere of the weekend, having conversation. 
  
• What Gibbs’ has to say: We get good feedback on products and return customers. Our jellies are in Heartworks on University, and Old Bryan Marketplace downtown. 
• What Jennifer sells: jams, jellies, fruit butters, preserves, marmalade, honey, eggs, and produce.
• What do you like about the market: There are so many faithful shoppers at the market. They bring their families and friends. They show up early with their reusable shopping bags, trying to get the best choices! We also love our market family! Great relationships are built with other farmers and market shoppers. We love it! 
• Why the name "Harvest Moon:" One late September evening, we were picking vegetables in the garden. I looked up to see a beautiful harvest moon lighting the way so we could work later. At that moment, I decided to call my business "Harvest Moon Canning Co." We would use our home grown peppers to make our pepper jellies, and support other local farmers as much as possible through Harvest Moon!
  

Kenny Closs and Spencer Temple: Ag Farm aquatic greens farm

• Favorite part about the market: “The overall atmosphere and the people. I know - repetitive. I see the same faces, though, and its really nice.” – Spencer. “It really is the people though… and good food.” – Kenny
  
• Do you have a CSA: Yes, with home delivery

Roger and Donna Burton: 2 Brothers Salsa & baked, canned, and fresh goods 

• What Roger loves about market: The comradery: meeting lots of nice people. It’s like a family. 
  
• Rogers other role at market: Brazos Valley Market Manager
  
• All about 2 Brothers Salsa: “My son, Wayne, was a chef and made salsa for friends and family. His brother, Wes, was his best customer who told Wayne to package it because it was so good. We’ve been selling it for 10 years now. Wes died in 2004 and that’s when we packaged the salsa as a tribute to Wes. That’s why there’s an angel on the salsa.” – Donna 
  
• Where you can buy 2 Brothers chipotle flavored salsa: Central Markets across Texas in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston; local markets like Village Foods, Brazos Natural Foods, the Farm Patch, Producers Co-op, Slovaceks in Snook, and Franks Country Store 
  
• Donna’s favorite bread that she sells: lemon tea cake 
  

ET Ash: “ET’s Bees” 

• Where are you located: South College Station around Wellborn
  
• What do you like about bee keeping: “I like the smell of it: smoke, sawdust…” – ET
  
• What you love about this farmers market: “It’s a nice little social community isn’t it?” – ET 
  

Richard Schubert: “The Egg Man”

• What do you sell: “Chicken eggs are my main thing and seasonal vegetables. I run about 500 chickens, rotating them out to lay eggs” 
  
• How many eggs do you sell at market: “90 dozen this week, some weeks 140 dozen. So around 100 dozen.”
  
• What are you loving about market: “It’s great. We got the other vendors, its like extended family. We all get together and have a good time.” 
  
• Why do you like raising chickens: “The good thing about chickens is you never have a day off. Keeps you out of trouble.”
  
• Tell me about the old days at the Brazos Valley farmers market: “Years ago there were only there of us, sometimes just me.”
  
• What kind of chickens do you have: [flips through a photo album of his chickens] “Americano chickens lay blue/green eggs. Naked neck [he points] is just about the ugliest chicken I’ve seen.” 

Dave Hall: Lonesome Pine

• What he’s selling: free range duck eggs, grass fed beef, pastured lamb and goat cheeses 
  
• Why is your slogan “happy animals:” because they are free ranging animals, even ducks. 
  
• Why duck eggs: “My wife was always a good cook and noticed French chefs using duck eggs to bake. They have twice the nutritional value of chicken eggs and more protein.”
  
• What do you love about market: “In particular, in this market, if you don’t grow it and make it yourself you can’t come. It sets it apart.”
  

-Photos and blog written by Jessica Newman