By Shannon Williams
I am not sure how it all started, but I have had a thing for fruit stands, farmers markets and guys selling produce out of the back of their truck on the side of the road! I have always just loved buying fruits and veggies in places other than the grocery store. I needed some time for me this past weekend, so off I went to my current favorite fruit stand, Frobergs Farm in Alvin! My dear mother in law took me to Frobergs shortly after I came to the area. We would try and go at least every few months. We had a big time and always got a fried pie and then had a hamburger at the Dairy Queen. I miss her and those trips so much. On Saturday, they had the freshly picked purple hull peas (a type of black- eyed peas which are both really beans and not peas) and okra. I had already been a time or two and had bunches put up, but I just had to go and get more, as you just cannot have too many peas to enjoy in the winter when it is cold. I found peaches that smelled like a peach and they were really good. I had to get my 1015 sweet onions to make all kinds of good things. It was a great morning and tons of fun. Ok, I am weird that I consider that fun. It is a lot of work, as everything I buy is fresh, so you have to do something with them in a hurry. Good thing I have several freezers.

Years ago, I had to go to Austin for meetings at least once a month, I would rather drive instead of fly to Austin, for the sole reason that the city of Brady had the best little farmers market, and if I did not have traffic in Austin (I did say years ago LOL) I could make it to Brady before they closed. I would load up on tomatoes and peaches and head home to enjoy them all.

We would travel to New Mexico in the fall, just so I could get apples and chili ristras from the markets in the valley before you get to Ruidoso. The apples made the best pies and I would always freeze some to make an apple pie or two for the holidays. I loved to have several chili ristras outside my house as part of my fall decorations. Trips to Dallas always ended with our last stop of the old farmers market near downtown Dallas. I would get $20 and could get what that would buy and what my husband could carry. When my son got bigger, he was so proud to go and carry mommy’s goodies, too. It is a great memory. I was so disappointed in that they have turned it into a food experience, which is still fun, but the days of buying off the back of the trucks are long gone.

I oversaw a project in Pecos and in the summer would always make time for a site visit so I could get a case of Pecos Cantaloupe, as there is none better. One of my sweet neighbors found some this summer and I got enjoy several. I told Paul that they were mine and he could not have any, but I could not keep something that good from him.

I did get to visit the granddaddy of farmers markets. I had a training that I attended in Medford, Oregon and got to go to the original Harry and David Store; you guessed it, I had to buy an extra suit case to bring home all I had brought.

This is one of the things I love about summer, all the fresh goodies to eat. I have made trips all over this summer. Hubby and I like to have a date night, where we go to High Island Fruit stand and then to Dairy Queen in Winnie for our date LOL. There is God’s Green Earth Market in Sour Lake. When I have to go into Houston, I have an old one I go to north west of downtown that has been there for years, and both Galveston and Bay Area Farmers Market are great. But all good things have to come to an end and with the heat and getting late in the summer, it is winding down. I think when I retire, I will do tours of where to find fresh fruits and veggies! Right now, I am going to have, peas, corn, squash and spinach for dinner, I guess I will have a little sausage with it all.

[SW: Aug-8-2023]