Bay Area Citizen - News
To market, to market
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| Barry Browne of Clear Lake’s Bay Glen subdivision shows off his wife’s home-canned pickles and relishes at the weekly Nassau Bay farmer’s market, held in front of the Erma’s Nutrition Center on Upper Bay Road. Browne sells fresh produce from his garden, too, but it goes quickly, so get there early. |
By DANA BURKE
It’s not the biggest farmer’s market in the world, but you don’t have to be big to be special.
And, although many in the Bay Area still don’t know it exists, word of Nassau Bay’s Saturday-morning market is spreading, as evidenced by the two new vendors present last weekend.
Leonard and Amy Law and their son, Randy, drove out from Channelview on Saturday to try out direct beef sales for the first time at the market, held in front of Erma’s Nutrition Center on Upper Bay Road.
“A lot of cow people are going out of business, so we thought we’d try something different,” Amy Law said, pointing to the increasing cost of grain as one reason her profit margin has shrunk.
The family looked at several farmer’s markets before choosing Nassau Bay, partly because Amy grew up in Seabrook and likes the neighborhood.
And there’s a big benefit to buying from the Law family - their butcher in Santa Fe inspects just three cows per day instead of the typical 100 per day, meaning it’s more likely their meat is up to snuff.
Sharon Ziegel, another newcomer to the market, proves that you don’t need a huge operation to join in the fun.
Her only product is the Meyer lemon, which has a growing season from mid-November through January.
Since it’s summer, Ziegel sells frozen juice, sorbet and marmalade, providing some much-needed refreshment to this reporter.
The Nassau Bay market had only one produce vendor last weekend, and his peppers, cucumbers, squash, basil and okra sold out in just a few hours.
Barry Browne, his wife, Roza, and daughter, Emiliya, grow all of their produce in the garden of their Clear Lake home.
When winter rolls around, the product line changes to include things like cabbage and broccoli, but Browne said that with Texas weather, his vegetables grow all year long. There are still some challenges, though.
“The important thing is to keep the soil healthy,” he said, adding that he only uses organic products on his plants. “It’s so hot and there’s so many bugs and fungus.”
Two goat farmers attended the market on Saturday, one of whom was Gil Rogers, who lives in Manvel and offers milk and kefir, an effervescent fermented goat’s milk.
Tammy Kocurek of Alvin milks her 30 Nubian goats once per day and sells several different flavors of fresh goat cheese. She rents a licensed commercial kitchen for cheese-making, which does not seem to be as difficult as caring for the goats themselves.
“Sometimes it’s very challenging,” she said.
Ann Rogers, who makes her soaps at home in a crock pot, has no problem trying out customer-requested scents. “Most things work,” she said. “Some things don’t.”
Rogers, who averages about $200 per day and $400 during the Christmas season, said she’s been coming to the market for about a year and a half.
“Be sure and taste her soaps,” organic plant vendor Bill Wyatt said. Apparently, his granddaughter tried them recently, and found she prefers something a little sweeter.
Wyatt, one of the longest-running vendors at the market, spends his Saturday mornings selling organic plants and dispensing gardening advice.
Wyatt, whose primary business is organic yard care, is also the inventor of compost tea, a liquid that resembles apple cider in appearance and is sold in gallon jugs.
He sells compost tea at the farmer’s market, but that’s not the real reason he’s there every week.
“This is really fun for me,” he said. “It’s pretty much a hobby.”
Visit us online for more photos and information on the Nassau Bay farmer’s market.
And, although many in the Bay Area still don’t know it exists, word of Nassau Bay’s Saturday-morning market is spreading, as evidenced by the two new vendors present last weekend.
Leonard and Amy Law and their son, Randy, drove out from Channelview on Saturday to try out direct beef sales for the first time at the market, held in front of Erma’s Nutrition Center on Upper Bay Road.
“A lot of cow people are going out of business, so we thought we’d try something different,” Amy Law said, pointing to the increasing cost of grain as one reason her profit margin has shrunk.
The family looked at several farmer’s markets before choosing Nassau Bay, partly because Amy grew up in Seabrook and likes the neighborhood.
And there’s a big benefit to buying from the Law family - their butcher in Santa Fe inspects just three cows per day instead of the typical 100 per day, meaning it’s more likely their meat is up to snuff.
Sharon Ziegel, another newcomer to the market, proves that you don’t need a huge operation to join in the fun.
Her only product is the Meyer lemon, which has a growing season from mid-November through January.
Since it’s summer, Ziegel sells frozen juice, sorbet and marmalade, providing some much-needed refreshment to this reporter.
The Nassau Bay market had only one produce vendor last weekend, and his peppers, cucumbers, squash, basil and okra sold out in just a few hours.
Barry Browne, his wife, Roza, and daughter, Emiliya, grow all of their produce in the garden of their Clear Lake home.
When winter rolls around, the product line changes to include things like cabbage and broccoli, but Browne said that with Texas weather, his vegetables grow all year long. There are still some challenges, though.
“The important thing is to keep the soil healthy,” he said, adding that he only uses organic products on his plants. “It’s so hot and there’s so many bugs and fungus.”
Two goat farmers attended the market on Saturday, one of whom was Gil Rogers, who lives in Manvel and offers milk and kefir, an effervescent fermented goat’s milk.
Tammy Kocurek of Alvin milks her 30 Nubian goats once per day and sells several different flavors of fresh goat cheese. She rents a licensed commercial kitchen for cheese-making, which does not seem to be as difficult as caring for the goats themselves.
“Sometimes it’s very challenging,” she said.
Ann Rogers, who makes her soaps at home in a crock pot, has no problem trying out customer-requested scents. “Most things work,” she said. “Some things don’t.”
Rogers, who averages about $200 per day and $400 during the Christmas season, said she’s been coming to the market for about a year and a half.
“Be sure and taste her soaps,” organic plant vendor Bill Wyatt said. Apparently, his granddaughter tried them recently, and found she prefers something a little sweeter.
Wyatt, one of the longest-running vendors at the market, spends his Saturday mornings selling organic plants and dispensing gardening advice.
Wyatt, whose primary business is organic yard care, is also the inventor of compost tea, a liquid that resembles apple cider in appearance and is sold in gallon jugs.
He sells compost tea at the farmer’s market, but that’s not the real reason he’s there every week.
“This is really fun for me,” he said. “It’s pretty much a hobby.”
Visit us online for more photos and information on the Nassau Bay farmer’s market.
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