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Round Rock's Farmers Market

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Written by Katherine Kennedy Saturday, 07 July 2007

Healthy living trends support fresh foods market

Round Rock has a long agricultural history filled with stories of farmers and ranchers. So when the city decided to revitalize downtown 17 years ago, it made sense to have a Saturday morning farmers market that would draw customers to Main Avenue.

Greg Coley, manager of the Georgetown Farmers Market Association, remembers when the Round Rock market began. At the time, farmers markets were a new concept, although almost every town has one now, he said.

Since then, trends heralding the virtue of healthy eating have only helped their efforts as articles in magazines and newspapers encourage choosing local, fresh produce.

“People want to make a difference both on the environment and their health. They try to eat local as much as possible, which means eating fruits and vegetables only when they are in season. Customers support local farmers and their lifestyle because they are a part of our community,” Coley said. “At the market, people can learn how to cook the produce they are buying.”

Map showing location of Round Rock Farmers Market The Round Rock market is a growers market, which means the customer knows where produce comes from, who grew the produce and how it was produced. Local farmers come from around the community, bringing fresh foods ranging from blackberries to tomatoes.

“Customers are able to look us in the eye and ask us what they want to know about the produce. They know that we are trustworthy and they can trust our produce,” Coley said. “The farmers and growers all know each other, and we are able to check on each other to see what is being grown. If a customer or another grower has a question about the validity of a product, we can go to the farm to make sure the product was indeed grown there.”

In the future, Coley hopes to find more sellers and another location. Right now, Round Rock has the smallest market in the Georgetown association.

It meets in the Round Rock City Hall parking garage, which provides safety from rain and heat, but also has its downsides.

“If we have more produce to sell and more customers buying our produce, we will be able to have the market run longer throughout the year,” Coley said. “Our current location is hidden and we are having a problem getting people to come. Customers and sellers prefer to go to the bigger markets. With a more visible location, our market will be more successful.”

Vegetables in season:

May: Potatoes, squash, cucumbers, greens, beets, blackberries, onions
June: Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, melons, peppers, corn, peaches, blackberries
July: Tomatoes, okra, peppers, squash, melons, peaches, figs

Three markets are in the Georgetown Farmers Market Association: