05/18/2009 01:50 PM Posted by: Gunjan

It is a very typical summer for Houston, hot and sultry. Shorts, flip-flops, ice-creams, sodas galore! When you are indoors you can’t wait to go out and enjoy the bountiful summer and when you are out...well… you run for the shade.

With my resolution to eat healthier in 2009, I am always on a lookout for seasonal fruits and veggies. The mother’s day weekend felt like a great time to visit Houston’s local farmer markets with my three year old baby boy.

The Houston's first Texas State Certified farmers market is located in the Heights area. It is open on Saturday mornings from 8 AM to noon. We got there about an hour after it opened. The farmers market is tucked behind the onion creek coffeehouse. You have to carefully keep an eye out coz if you blink you’d miss it.

The farmer’s market felt a little anticlimactic, I was hoping to see a number of stands loaded with fruits and vegetables… but as I counted there were a total of 8 stands. There was only one vegetable stall with squash, cabbage, onions, and strawberries. There was other fun stuff like organic toiletries; handmade jewelry, fresh baked dog treats, honey, gourmet infused vinegars. I got myself a jar of body scrub which is so aromatic and wonderful. I would totally recommend those. I have listed the website below for those of you who are interested in organic toiletries.

This farmers market can be made into a fun experience if you make it just a part of your Saturday morning outing and not make your outing all about it because it can be covered in 15-20 minutes. I am sure there are Saturdays when they have much more to offer but for the purpose of my visit which was to load up on fruits and veggies for a week, it left something to be desired.

The very next day we were invited to go to a strawberry farm in Alvin by some friends. I didn’t think much of it going in as I didn’t know what to expect. We got to the Froberg vegetable and fruit farm at about 10 AM on mother’s day. It was much bigger than what I anticipated. Row after row of strawberry bushes loaded with ripe and juicy fruits. My son loved picking the strawberries. I plan to go there one more time before the strawberry season is over in June. You pay for the strawberries that you pick out. We paid $2.50 for a boxful which seemed reasonable for high-quality fresh picked strawberries. The Froberg farm has been around since 1936 and has a very loyal clientele base. It’s busy all year and offers seasonal fruits and vegetables when strawberries are not in season. They have a modest metal building where the freshest seasonal fruits and vegetables can be bought. Except for the produce, the farm is also famous for its pies, which you can order several during the holiday season, preserves, dried fruits, soup mixes, sausages etc. It was a 25 mile drive from Sugar Land where I live but it was worth every mile driven.

I would highly recommend Froberg farm for a long, lazy, relaxed family outing. I would urge you to visit them at least once before the strawberry season is over. On your way back… visit the Vineyard and pick out a nice Riesling or a Muscat which go perfectly with the strawberries.

-Gunjan

Email me at gunjan@discovervineyard.com with suggestions and comments. Let me know if there is a fun destination in and around Houston that you would want me to visit and write about.

The address to farmers market in Heights area, Houston:

3106 White Oak
Between Studewood and Heights Blvd.
Houston, TX 77007

http://www.houstonfarmersmarket.org/

The market is open Saturdays 8 a.m.- noon.

The address to Frobergs farm, Alvin: