Greening Austin Daily

HOPE Farmer’s Market

19th March, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments

The HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere) Farmer’s Market is a fairly new market on the eastside that opened in October. It’s every Sunday from 11-3 at Waller and 5th. I recently bought a Groupon that included vouchers to use there, some yoga classes, and a reuseable bag, so I stopped by for the first time the other day to use the vouchers and check the place out. I found the market to be full of interesting stuff, and I will definitely go back regularly. However, it’s a bit of a misnomer, since there was a limited amount of actual fresh produce. It’s more of a community market, with a little bit of farmers market thrown in. I only saw a couple stands that sold veggies, but the ones they did have were plentiful and very fresh. I bought some kale and collard greens from the Finca Pura Vida stand, and both have been very hardy and tasty. All the other stands had other items of interest, including prepared foods, tea, clothing, soap, recycled yarn, jewelry, candles, etc. They also have free yoga, provided by Empower Yoga at 12 and 1, which I will have to try out soon. I liked the variety of items, and the atmosphere and location were very fun. But if it’s a variety of produce and produce vendors you’re looking for, I think the Austin Farmer’s Market downtown is going to be your best bet.