(Re)introducing the SFC Farmers’ Market at Sunset Valley

Many of the 55+ certified growers-only farmers, food vendors and artisans at “the market that stayed in Sunset Valley” have been serving the South Austin community for several years now.  Having lived in the area and visited the market many times, I can assure you that from Animal Farm to Zubik House and everything in between, these amazing producers are dedicated to bringing you the best in local, sustainable products.

A project of the non-profit Sustainable Food Center, the Farmers’ Market at Sunset Valley also offers an ATM (tokens) and accepts the Lone Star Food Stamp card (tokens).  Did I mention 17 acres of free parking?

The Sunset Valley market is open Saturdays from 9am to 1pm, rain or shine – please stop by & say hi, grab some incredible food and help support this vibrant, growing community.


3200 Jones Road, at the Toney Burger Center off Hwy. 290/71 eastbound access road,
just west of the intersection of Brodie Lane and Hwy. 290/71 East
the same location as always!

Austin’s Iconic Breakfast Tacos

As the New York Times recently pointed out, Austin is the center of the universe when it comes to breakfast tacos.  Trailers, bodegas and restaurants all over town serve up cheap, delicious tacos containing everything from purple corn, nopales and avocado to black beans, fried potatoes and bacon.  As amazing as the local fare is, though, its still tough to beat what you can make to your own taste at home, using fresh, local ingredients.

This 5-minute creation consists of local, pastured eggs, queso Añejo, crumbled chorizo with jalapeños, onions and grape tomatoes, fresh cilantro and hot sauce on a freshly-made cayenne tortilla.  Yum!

Homemade Breakfast Tacos

Ben Sklar for The New York Times

Cedar Park Farmers Market

Cedar Park Farms To Market is now serving the NW Austin/Cedar Park/Leander area!

Vendors include some familiar names like Amador Farms (hydroponic lettuces and greens) and Sweetish Hill (breads and baked goods).  Rockin B will be selling grassfed beef and goat and she’ll even have yak meat available once each month (yes, yak meat) from a ranch outside of Weatherford.  The market is every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm and will be located in the Lakeline Mall parking lot behind Dillard’s (11200 Lakeline Mall Dr. Cedar Park, TX 78613).

Some of the market crew

For directions and more information, please visit the market’s website

Farmhouse Delivery Launches New Farm Membership Program

In an effort to create a sustainable revenue stream for local growers, Austin’s Farmhouse Delivery is launching a new seasonal farm membership.

Each bushel (available weekly or bi-weekly) will contain about 10 different types of all-local produce, including things like turnips, sweet potatoes, fennel, broccoli, greens, citrus and heirloom cauliflower, all delivered right to your door.

Running from November 2nd through December 21st, membership includes invitations to exclusive Rain Lily Farm events including demonstrations, dinners, cooking classes and more.

The deadline to sign up is October 30th, so better hurry!

Farmhouse Delivery Seasonal Bushel photo by Jody Horton, www.jodyhorton.com

Farmhouse Delivery Seasonal Bushel photo by Jody Horton, www.jodyhorton.com

Eat fresh, eat local – support your farmers!

An open letter to Henry Jackson, Aramark

The Texas Union and slavery

Henry Jackson
Director of Dining Services, Aramark
The Texas Union
PO Box 7338
Austin TX 78713
(512) 475-6500

Dear Mr. Jackson:

As concerned students, alumni, and community members, we urge Aramark to follow the recent example set by the Compass Group North America in working with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to eliminate human rights violations in its tomato supply chain.

According to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, “the norm is a disaster, and the extreme is slavery” for tomato harvesters in Florida’s fields. The tomato picking piece rate has remained stagnant since 1980. A worker today must pick and haul roughly two and a half tons of tomatoes to earn minimum wage for a typical ten-hour day. These wages – combined with the precarious and seasonal nature of farm labor – result in workers’ sub-poverty annual earnings and create an environment where horrific forms of labor abuse flourish.

In the extreme, workers face situations of forced labor. The CIW – a Florida-based worker organization leading the movement to reform the state’s farm labor relations – has aided the Department of Justice in the successful prosecution of six modern-day slavery cases involving more than one thousand farmworkers in the past decade. Fifteen farm labor supervisors are currently serving sentences in federal prison as a result of these slavery prosecutions.

On September 25, the CIW and Compass Group North America announced sweeping changes to improve tomato harvesters’ wages and working conditions. Compass is the first major food-service provider to join Yum Brands, McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Whole Foods Market and Bon Appetit Management Company in partnering with the CIW to address the human rights crisis in Florida’s fields.

Now we turn to Aramark. Your company claims to “conduct business with the utmost integrity and according to the highest ethical standard… working hard to continuously improve [its] actions.” With news of the Compass agreement, Aramark can no longer claim that it meets the highest ethical standards. We expect that your company will follow suit and establish an agreement with the CIW with all due diligence to demand those same higher standards of its tomato suppliers. Until that time, however, we have no choice but to intensify our educational efforts to inform the campus and community of Aramark’s role in prolonging Florida’s harvest of shame.

Sincerely,

Members and Supporters of Fair Food Austin