Dallas Farmers Market: country quality, city shops
For more than a century, farmers have made the trek to the Dallas Farmers Market to sell their fresh produce, meats, dairy and eggs. Today, with renewed interest in local organic produce, the Farmers Market is more popular than ever.
Located just southeast of downtown Dallas, the Farmers Market is one of the largest public markets in the country. Open year-round, the market also sells live plants, flowers and specialty prepared foods. Be sure to sample fresh fruit from the local farmers as you pass through the colorful corridors of the market.
The market space is divided into four main areas called sheds. Three of the sheds are open-walled pavilions, while the other is an enclosed structure that resembles a specialty mall. Vendors are divided by the following:
- Shed 1 features local produce and gives customers a chance to buy local seasonal staples like tomatoes; sweet potatoes; peaches; and watermelons.
- Shed 2, which has indoor plumbing and electricity, provides an alternative to local supermarkets. A variety of eateries, specialty shops, bakeries, and local butchers and dairies are located inside.
- Shed 3 provides customers with nationally and internationally imported produce items like Washington apples and Mexican avodacos.
- Shed 4 sells wholesale and bulk items to local shops and restaurants. A weekly night market, which runs from midnight to 7 a.m., provides local businesses with the opportunity to forego the crowds during the day.
The rainbow of colors from the plant and flower vendors is usually the first thing to catch the eyes of visitors — along with the large welcome sign at the corner of Cadiz Street and Marilla Boulevard. The floral and nursery vendors are located adjacent to the parking lot at Shed 2, and offer solutions to gardening, indoor and outdoor decoration needs.
Open seven days a week, 362 days a year (closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day), a family trip to the market is both functional and fun.
Weekends see larger crowds than weekdays, but plentiful parking is available all week long.
- by Jenn Emerson, Dallas Reporter for HelloMetro
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