A few tips from savvy farmers-market shopper before you plan your trip... arrive early, brings some bags and packs some $1 and $5 bills so that farmers aren't trying to make change for $20s. If your errands will prevent you from returning home right away, bring a cooler, as farm-fresh produce is perishable
BOLSA: First Sunday of the month, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., through October. Produce from the restaurant's farmer suppliers as well the Texas Honeybee Guild, chocolatier Katherine Clapner, Kessler Cookies, Texas Olive Ranch and others. Live entertainment. • 614 W. Davis St., Dallas; 214-367-9367.
COLLEYVILLE FARMERS MARKET: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Local produce in season. • 5409 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville; 817-427-2333.
COPPELL FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, through Nov. 20. One of the area's best community farmers markets, with farmers, pastured meats, eggs, cheese and chicken, gulf seafood, dairy, breads, baked goods, jams, jellies, salsas and more. New vendors this year include Republic Coffee (locally roasted), Dallas Spice Market/Kurry King (Indian spice blends), Village Baking Co., Texas Daily Harvest (organic dairy) and Victoria Hooker, with handmade tortillas and salsa. South Coppell Road is now open, so be prepared to enter on Bethel and exit on South Coppell. • 455 W. Bethel Road, (between Denton Tap Road and Freeport Parkway) in Old Town Coppell; 972-304-7043; www.coppellfarmersmarket.org.
CORSICANA BRICK STREET FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., opens Saturday. This new market is a Farmer-Rancher Network producer-only farmers market, organized by former Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association president Jackie King, who also co-owns P.O.P. Acres (pastured meats); Tony Johns, formerly with the Dallas Farmers Market; and Brian Cummings, who organized eatgreendfw.com . Look for Texas-grown and Texas-made products and services and food vendors from within a 150-mile radius. • Corsicana Bank of America parking lot, 209 N. 12th St. (at West Fifth Street), Corsicana; 903-673-1435; www.farmerranchernetwork.org.
COTTON'S PRODUCE MARKET: Monday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mom-and-pop retail stand that sells produce mostly from local farmers. • 4200 Broadway, Garland ; 972-240-8810.
COX FARMS MARKET: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A neighborhood natural-foods market that carries local produce in season as well as locally produced meats and pastured chicken year-round. • 1026 S. Main St., Duncanville ; 972-283-8851.
COWTOWN FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon. Producer-only market. Besides farmers, there are artisan baked goods, goat cheese, locally roasted coffee, tamales, natural granola and more. Part of the North Central Texas Farmers Markets Association (produce grown within a 150-mile radius). The market's Fresh Line tells what's going to be at the market. • State Highway 377 at Southwest Boulevard, Fort Worth (east side of Weatherford traffic circle, parking lot in front of Texas Outdoors); 817-462-1426 (Fresh Line); www.cowtownfarmersmarket.com.
DALLAS FARMERS MARKET: Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. year-round. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's days. Look for local farmers, mixed with a few dealers, in Shed No. 1 with cheese, eggs, sorbet, produce, pasteurized organic farm milk and more; most come on Saturday, but many are there Friday and Sunday, too. Shed No. 2 is filling up with food producers, including permanent vendors Pecan Lodge Catering (breakfast and lunch Thursday through Sunday), Old World Sausage (deli counter), and Ain't No Mo Buttercakes, also regulars Wackym's Kitchen, Texoma Winery and others. Koster Cattle Co. and Pastabilities, adjacent to the Dallas Farmers Market, are just north of Shed No. 1 (Fridays through Sundays). • 1010 S. Pearl Expressway, Dallas; 214-670-5880; www.dallasfarmersmarket.org. If you are going to the market for a specific item, call 214-670-5879.
DENTON COUNTY FARMERS MARKET: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 7 a.m. to sellout. Official opening date is June 1, but some farmers may come sooner with produce. Fruits, vegetables and herbs from Denton County farmers. • Sycamore at Carroll, adjacent to the Bayless-Selby House Museum, Denton; 817-946-0008.
EDEN'S ORGANIC GARDEN CENTER: Market day, the first and third Saturdays of every month, 9 a.m. to noon, through December, weather permitting. Small organic and sustainable farmers market with eggs, breads, beef, pork and chicken, plus fruits and vegetables. For items such as meat and bread, it's best to reserve ahead through the vendor. Get the contact number from Eden's website. Regulars include Cherokee Point Ranch, Moss Gathers Farm and Amy's Raw Chocolates. • 4710 Pioneer Road, Balch Springs; 214-348-3336; www.edensorganicfarm.com.
FORT WORTH DOWNTOWN MARKET: Saturday, 9 a.m. to sellout. Opens Saturday, likely with a single vendor. Picks up with the season. • 4800 S. Hulen St., Fort Worth (Sears parking lot); 817-925-3965.
FOUR SEASONS MARKET-ADDISON: Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through November. This is the second European-style market from the Four Seasons Market team, featuring many of the same vendors. • Village on the Parkway, Belt Line at the Dallas North Tollway, in the parking lot of the former Bed, Bath and Beyond, Addison; 972-308-0100; www.fourseasonsmarkets.com.
FOUR SEASONS MARKET-GARLAND: Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Started last year at Firewheel, this European-style market is one of the largest and most diverse community markets in the area, with growers, artisanal food producers and nonfood producers. Some regulars are Ain't No Mo Buttercakes, Brisket Heaven, Calais Winery, Heddin Family Farms (produce), JuHa Ranch (pastured meats, chicken and eggs), the Village Bakery and Walnut Creek Farm. During the cold-weather months, it moves indoors. • Firewheel Town Center, 305 River Fern Ave. (Bush Turnpike at State Highway 78, a.k.a. Lavon Drive), Garland; 972-675-1041; www.fourseasonsmarkets.com.
FRISCO FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or sellout, through Oct. 23. Local fruit, vegetables, pastured meats, eggs, honey, pasta and baked goods. Regulars include Truth Hill Farm and Sloans Creek Farm (pastured meats), Village Baking Co., Magnolia Seafood (gulf harvest), Little John's Produce and others. • 6048 Frisco Square Blvd. (across from City Hall), Frisco; 214-407-6665; www.friscofarmersmarket.com.
GEORGIA'S FARMERS MARKET: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round. Starts bringing in local produce with the season. • 916 E. 15th St., Plano (east of Central Expressway); 972-516-4765; www.georgiasfarmersmarket.com.
GNISMER FARMS: Urban, family-run, pick-your-own (or they will pick for you). Saturday, 9 a.m. until picked out, Wednesday, 1 p.m. to picked out. Season starts with strawberries, will include tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, lettuces and more. Herb garden. Generally runs into July; reopens in October with pumpkins and fall vegetables. • 3010 S. Bowen, Arlington; 817-469-8704 (call to be sure weather hasn't affected ripening); www.gnismer.com.
GRAND PRAIRIE FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Dec. 18. Produce, breads, grass-fed meat and poultry. North Central Texas Farmers Markets Association (produce grown within a 150-mile radius) portion of the market starts June 3. Vendors include Country Store Bakery, Aduro Bean Micro-Roasters, Homemade Gourmet, B and G Gardens and others. • Market Square, 120 W. Main St. (at NW Second Street), Grand Prairie; 972-237-8000; www.gptx.org/farmersmarket.
GRAPEVINE FARMERS MARKET: Thursday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to sellout, May 27 through October. Part of North Central Texas Farmers Markets Association (produce grown within a 150-mile radius). • 325 S. Main St. (behind the gazebo downtown), Grapevine; 940-872-5748.
HAM ORCHARDS: Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 15 through Aug. 16. Country store for the family orchards with peaches and other produce, baked goods, peach and strawberry ice cream, pies, preserved goods, hamburgers and more. • 11939 County Road 309 (at State Highway 80), Terrell; 972-524-2028; www.hamorchard.com.
KELLER FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., through Oct. 30. Farmers from around Texas. Vendors include Genesis Beef, Village Baking Co., Homestead Farms (goat cheese, pastured meat), Grapevine Grains, Latte Da Dairy and others, with farmer action picking up as the season progresses. • Keller Town Center fountain, 251 Town Center Lane, Keller; 817-709-9411; www.kellerfarmersmarket.com.
McKINNEY FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon at Chestnut Square. Thursday and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. at Adriatica (replica of Croatian village). Local produce (including organic), pastured meats, chicken, eggs, farm butter, salsas, breads and more. Regulars include Motley Farms, Rehoboth Ranch and Dominion Farms (pastured meats and poultry), and Sachse Farms. • Chestnut Square Historic Village, about three blocks south of the main square at McDonald and Anthony (park in the lot on McDonald); Adriatica, 6851 Virginia Parkway, McKinney; 972-562-8790; www.mckinneyfarmersmarket.com.
MERRY BERRY FARM: Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon; Monday and Thursday, 5 to 8 p.m., starting around mid-May. Suburban pick-your-own blackberry farm. Organic; cash only. • 4608 Sheperd Lane, Balch Springs; 972-286-2287; www.themerryberryfarm.com.
MOCKINGBIRD MARKET: Thursday, 4 to 7 p.m., through Oct. 28. Local produce, baked goods, honey, dairy and more. Some of the vendors include Rosey Ridge Farms (Mennonite baked goods and jams), Lucky Layla Farms, Motley Farms (specialty herbs and produce), Berry Best Farms, the Shrimp Stop, Wackym's Kitchen (artisanal cookies) and Texas Olive Ranch. More produce growers will be added as the season progresses. • In front of the Angelika Film Center, Mockingbird Station, 5321 E. Mockingbird at North Central Expressway, Dallas; 214-295-7463; www.mockingbirdstation.com.
OLD TOWN LEWISVILLE FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, 8 a.m. to sellout, May 15 through Oct. 30. Local and regional produce, jams, jellies and breads. No market on Sept. 25. • Wayne Ferguson Plaza, 151 W. Church St. (City Hall) at Main, Lewisville; 972-219-3401; www.cityoflewisville.com.
RICHLAND HILLS FARMERS MARKET: Saturday and Wednesday, 2 to 6 p.m., June 2 through Aug. 28. Part of North Central Texas Farmers Markets Association (produce grown within 150-mile radius). • 6980 Baker at Latham, Richland Hills; 817-763-0193.
RIDGMAR FARMERS MARKET: Sunday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Year-round market operated by Parker County peach and vegetable growers. Mexican cafe inside. Selection includes local produce. • 900 State Highway 183 North (across from Ridgmar Mall), Fort Worth; 817-246-7525.
ROCKWALL FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, opens Saturday through Oct. 9. Local farmers, honey, dry seasoning mixes, baked goods, eggs, plants and herbs. More fruits and veggies as the season progresses.• On the downtown square in the parking lot of the county courthouse at Goliad and Kaufman streets, Rockwall; 972-772-6400 or e-mail downtown@rockwall.com.
ROSEMEADE MARKET & GREENHOUSE: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Nursery with indoor market stocked with seasonal fruits and vegetables from the Dallas Farmers Market. • 3646 E. Rosemeade Parkway, Carrollton; 972-306-2899; www.rosemeademarket.com.
RUFE SNOW FARMERS MARKET: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Year-round produce, with seasonal fruits and vegetables from Dallas Farmers Market and local producers. • 6871 Rufe Snow Drive, Fort Worth; 817-281-4313.
WAXAHACHIE DOWNTOWN FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 22 to Oct. 30. Local farmers (including organic) plus organic master gardeners, jams, jellies, sauces. One of the market's most popular vendors is the Country Store, a Mennonite bakery in Grandview. • Franklin Street between Rogers and College, south of the Ellis County Courthouse, Waxahachie. 972-937-7330, ext. 198.
WHITE ROCK LOCAL MARKET: Second and fourth Saturday of each month, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., through Dec. 11. The fourth Saturday is limited to farmers, growers and food producers. Vendors at the popular neighborhood market include Comeback Creek, Finley Farms, Kessler Cookies, Royal Pepper, JuHa Ranch, Homestead Land and Cattle Co., and others. • Green Spot Market & Fuels, 702 N. Buckner Blvd. at Northcliff, Dallas; 214-319-7768; www.whiterocklocalmarket.com.
Note: Many markets update their websites weekly to show what's available.
]]>What are you doing to get a little more green?
]]>Aside from the negative impact on the environment, think of what that's doing to your water bill?? It's so much cheaper to just get it fixed already!
]]>You do not have to do without to achieve these savings. There is now an energy efficient alternative for almost every kind of appliance or light fixture. That means that consumers have a real choice and the power to change their energy use on a revolutionary scale.
The average American produces about 40,000 pounds of CO2 emissions per year. Together, we use nearly a million dollars worth of energy every minute, night and day, every day of the year. By exercising even a few of the following steps, you can cut your annual emissions by thousands of pounds and your energy bills by a significant amount!
Home appliances
- Turn your refrigerator down. Refrigerators account for about 20% of Household electricity use. Use a thermometer to set your refrigerator temperature as close to 37 degrees and your freezer as close to 3 degrees as possible. Make sure that its energy saver switch is turned on. Also, check the gaskets around your refrigerator/freezer doors to make sure they are clean and sealed tightly.
- Set your clothes washer to the warm or cold water setting, not hot. Switching from hot to warm for two loads per week can save nearly 500 pounds of CO2 per year if you have an electric water heater, or 150 pounds for a gas heater.
- Make sure your dishwasher is full when you run it and use the energy saving setting, if available, to allow the dishes to air dry. You can also turn off the drying cycle manually. Not using heat in the drying cycle can save 20 percent of your dishwasher's total electricity use.
- Turn down your water heater thermostat. Thermostats are often set to 140 degrees F when 120 is usually fine. Each 10 degree reduction saves 600 pounds of CO2 per year for an electric water heater, or 440 pounds for a gas heater. If every household turned its water heater thermostat down 20 degrees, we could prevent more than 45 million tons of annual CO2 emissions - the same amount emitted by the entire nations of Kuwait or Libya.
- Select the most energy-efficient models when you replace your old appliances. Look for the Energy Star Label - your assurance that the product saves energy and prevents pollution. Buy the product that is sized to your typical needs - not the biggest one available. Front loading washing machines will usually cut hot water use by 60 to 70% compared to typical machines. Replacing a typical 1973 refrigerator with a new energy-efficient model, saves 1.4 tons of CO2 per year. Investing in a solar water heater can save 4.9 tons of CO2 annually.
- Be careful not to overheat or overcool rooms. In the winter, set your thermostat at 68 degrees in daytime, and 55 degrees at night. In the summer, keep it at 78. Lowering your thermostat just two degrees during winter saves 6 percent of heating-related CO2 emissions. That's a reduction of 420 pounds of CO2 per year for a typical home.
- Clean or replace air filters as recommended. Energy is lost when air conditioners and hot-air furnaces have to work harder to draw air through dirty filters. Cleaning a dirty air conditioner filter can save 5 percent of the energy used. That could save 175 pounds of CO2 per year.
- Buy energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs for your most-used lights. Although they cost more initially, they save money in the long run by using only 1/4 the energy of an ordinary incandescent bulb and lasting 8-12 times longer. They provide an equivalent amount of bright, attractive light. Only 10% of the energy consumed by a normal light bulb generates light. The rest just makes the bulb hot. If every American household replaced one of its standard light bulbs with an energy efficient compact fluorescent bulb, we would save the same amount of energy as a large nuclear power plant produces in one year. In a typical home, one compact fluorescent bulb can save 260 pounds of CO2 per year.
- Wrap your water heater in an insulating jacket, which costs just $10 to $20. It can save 1100 lbs. of CO2 per year for an electric water heater, or 220 pounds for a gas heater.
- Use less hot water by installing low-flow shower heads. They cost just $10 to $20 each, deliver an invigorating shower, and save 300 pounds of CO2 per year for electrically heated water, or 80 pounds for gas-heated water.
- Weatherize your home or apartment, using caulk and weather stripping to plug air leaks around doors and windows. Caulking costs less than $1 per window, and weather stripping is under $10 per door. These steps can save up to 1100 pounds of CO2 per year for a typical home. Ask your utility company for a home energy audit to find out where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. This service may be provided free or at low cost. Make sure it includes a check of your furnace and air conditioning.
- Whenever possible, walk, bike, car pool, or use mass transit. Every gallon of gasoline you save avoids 22 pounds of CO2 emissions. If your car gets 25 miles per gallon, for example, and you reduce your annual driving from 12,000 to 10,000 miles, you'll save 1800 pounds of CO2.
- When you next buy a car, choose one that gets good mileage. If your new car gets 40 miles per gallon instead of 25, and you drive 10,000 miles per year, you'll reduce your annual CO2 emissions by 3,300 pounds.
- Reduce the amount of waste you produce by buying minimally packaged goods, choosing reusable products over disposable ones, and recycling. For every pound of waste you eliminate or recycle, you save energy and reduce emissions of CO2 by at least 1 pound. Cutting down your garbage by half of one large trash bag per week saves at least 1100 pounds of CO2 per year. Making products with recycled materials, instead of from scratch with raw materials, uses 30 to 55% less for paper products, 33% less for glass, and a whopping 90% less for aluminum.
- If your car has an air conditioner, make sure its coolant is recovered and recycled whenever you have it serviced. In the United States, leakage from auto air conditioners is the largest single source of emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which damage the ozone layer as well as add to global warming. The CFCs from one auto air conditioner can add the equivalent of 4800 pounds of CO2 emissions per year.
- Insulate your walls and ceilings. This can save 20 to 30 percent of home heating bills and reduce CO2 emissions by 140 to 2100 pounds per year. If you live in a colder climate, consider superinsulating. That can save 5.5 tons of CO2 per year for gas-heated homes, 8.8 tons per year for oil heat, or 23 tons per year for electric heat. (If you have electric heat, you might also consider switching to more efficient gas or oil.)
- Modernize your windows. Replacing all your ordinary windows with argon filled, double-glazed windows saves 2.4 tons of CO2 per year for homes with gas heat, 3.9 tons of oil heat, and 9.8 tons for electric heat.
- Plant shade trees and paint your house a light color if you live in a warm climate, or a dark color if you live in a cold climate. Reductions in energy use resulting from shade trees and appropriate painting can save up to 2.4 tons of CO2 emissions per year. (Each tree also directly absorbs about 25 pounds of CO2 from the air annually.)
- Work with your employer to implement these and other energy-efficiency and waste-reduction measures in your office or workplace. Form or join local citizens' groups and work with local government officials to see that these measures are taken in schools and public buildings.
- Keep track of the environmental voting records of candidates for office. Stay abreast of environmental issues on both local and national levels, and write or call your elected officials to express your concerns about energy efficiency and global warming.
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