Dallas Farmers Market

When Andy and I first moved to Dallas we researched all the best places to visit in the city. Among things like the Dallas Zoo, the 6th Floor Museum, and the Dallas Aquarium, was the farmers market! I was so excited because I had heard it was one of the biggest in the country, open 365 days a year, and had not only fresh produce from farmers but also jewelry and art from local artisans. 

We finally made it there a couple weekends ago during one HOT Sunday afternoon (yes it was about 95 degrees). There were sooooo many vendors! It was fun to see stands with so much delicious fruit and vegetables. 

There are four sheds. One is for fresh produce, another commercial produce (I'm not sure the difference here), another for local artisans, and finally one more that is air-conditioned where you can scope out little restaurants and shops inside. This is where we got our lunch.

Inside the air-conditioned building was this BBQ restaurant that is only at the famers market called Pecan Lodge. They supposedly have won awards for THE BEST BBQ IN DALLAS, which is a serious statement in these parts. So we had to try it of course. 

We waited in line for an hour to get our own plate of this delicious meat. We ordered a pork rib, brisket, and cole slaw. Do you see that rib?? It's just one mind you that is longer than the width of the plate. HUGE! and de-lish! Look at that cutie!!

One thing I was curious about is if the meat vendors at the farmers market would have grass-fed, pasture-raised, hormone and antibiotic-free, etc. The vendors themselves did do this but this restaurant didn't necessarily advertise it so I'm sure it wasn't. The whole grass-fed beef thing is still catching on down here. You can get it at Central Market or Whole Foods (grocery stores) but most restaurants, even very nice ones, don't always have it.  

Lincoln enjoying the shade from hot sun while we ate. 

I also found a huge section of the farmers market with a garden nursery with flowers, trees, and humongous green houses for fresh flowers to plant. I want to go back if I ever have space for a little garden!

Also this cute little famers market carriage went by carrying people around the block to visit all the different sheds. 

This is what we ended up with at home! The mango we ate almost immediately because it was so ripe and juicy. We ended up making my mom's famous Cold Tomato Pasta Sauce with those tomatoes there and later on BLT sandwiches with those avocados. The green beans were delicious as well and lasted almost a week! 

We were bummed that the artisan shed was under construction because I was excited to scour the homemade Texas artifacts for our home. Next time I'm sure! 

PS- Next time I go I am going to be more careful about EXACTLY which vendors I choose to buy from. It seemed like some were more family-owned and others were more distributers for bigger companies. For example, we didn't realize until we got home that the mango and avocados had stickers on them stating they were grown in Mexico. I was in shock but remembered seeing this even at MN farmers markets so I've made a mental note to ask more questions about their practices and where is comes from before purchasing. 

Lesson learned! Cheers to locally-grown and pesticide-free veggies!