Texas Farmers Market at Lakeline

It’s no secret – I love the Texas Farmers Market at Lakeline. It’s my “home” market and probably the one I visit the most often. I first visited the market several years ago and it was nothing more than a little strip of booths. Now if you visit, you’ll find rows of incredible baked goods, produce, prepared hot foods, drinks, and other fun stalls. Check out the complete list of vendors HERE.

Thanks for inviting me out, Texas Farmers Market!
I mean, I’d be writing about you guys even if this post wasn’t sponsored.

I got $50 market bucks to spend and I shopped like crazy. I supplemented some of my own money as well because I wanted to branch out and try new things for this article, but there were also some tried and true things I just HAD to get.

Starting with the new items:

Live Attractions
Last weekend, there were several experiences to enjoy. I always stop at the food demo station, if there is one! You’ll get tasty samples from some really amazing chefs. Chef Maggie was cooking up a whole fish and MAN did it smell good. There was also live music from Johnny McGowan and an adorable social outing of labradors from the Austin group of Guide Dogs for the Blind. GDB Austin is a volunteer group that raises and trains puppies for the national Guide Dogs for the Blind organization. They were all doing an amazing job with the crowds of the market!

All of these experiences – the food demos, live music, and animal involvement – show what a real community event the Texas Farmers Market at Lakeline is.

“Yoco” from Lost Pines Yaupon Tea
My first stop at the market was to try the new Lost Pines Yaupon Tea – “Yoco”. It’s a mix of dark roast yaupon and cacao nibs from SRSLY Chocolate. It’s not sweet (though I’m sure you could sweeten it) but it is still easy to drink. It’s kind of like a mixture of black tea and coffee. It’s still in the testing phase, but I think it’s a winner! As with all Lost Pines Yaupon Teas, you can get free refills as long as you shop at the market.

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Garlic Pork Sausage from Taylor’s Farm
I really wanted to branch out from my usual farmers’ market purchases. I went with some garlic pork sausage from Taylor’s Farm and was not disappointed. I paid $11 for these 4 large sausages and honestly, I think that’s a fair price. It really makes me think about shopping local more often, instead of purchasing meat from the supermarket, where the ethics behind the raising of the animals might be questionable.

Pasteurized Chicken Eggs from Humble Rooster Farm
Eggs were next on my list. Again, eggs aren’t something I usually purchase from the market. I paid $6 for a dozen large eggs from Humble Rooster Farm. I cooked some up the following morning and they were wonderful!

Creamed Honey from Austin Honey Company
While honey is an item that’s usually on my shopping list, I tried a new brand this time. I usually go with the comb honey or raw honey, to get something as minimally processed as possible. This time, I bought Austin Honey Company’s creamed honey. It is SO good. It’s whipped raw honey, so it’s way easier to spread than my normal stuff. I really like it and it will probably be my new regular honey.

Fettuccine from Gourmet Texas Pasta
I sampled some of the pasta from Gourmet Texas Pasta and was really surprised by its flavor! They grind up real vegetables and herbs to add to their pasta, which is why I think the flavors are so good. You could cook it up with butter or olive oil and call it good. I ended up cooking the sausage, tossed in some tomatoes and asparagus and poured it over boiled rosemary lemon pepper fettuccine with butter. It was a super easy, tasty, healthy meal!

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Empanadas from Yapa Artisan Empanandas
I needed a snack while I was shopping and stopped at Yapa Artisan Empanadas. Usually, I go for Steamies Dumplings, but in the spirit of trying new things, I went for empanadas. A “yapa” is something that is given without obligation, like a gift. They sell sweet and savory options. The dough on these empanadas was so delicious. The filling was good too, of course, but the dough was SUPER good. Highly recommended.

Lip Balm from Round Rock Honey
A new trend I noticed at the market was honey vendors selling lip balm. I’m a huge Burts Bees fan (like, obsessive) so this caught my attention. This lip balm from Round Rock Honey was $3, which is the same price as Burts Bees! That means I’m getting my bees wax lip balm locally from now on. EDIT: I’ve been using it for the last few days and I really like it! It’s doesn’t have that peppermint coolness Burts Bees has, but it still feels good on the lips.

Tried and true favorites, revisited:

Macarons from The Magical Macaron
I can’t go to the Lakeline Farmers’ Market and not get macarons from The Magical Macaron. She makes the cutest character macarons! It’s always hard for me to not buy every single character she has. This week, I bought a unicorn and a Totoro macaron, along with a regular cake batter. In the past, she’s had things like Pokemon characters (my all-time favorites), hamburgers and grills for Fathers Day, and even baby Yoda with Christmas hats! The bottom line is, if you like cute desserts, you MUST get a macaron from The Magical Macaron.

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Teddy V. Patisserie
I don’t know how Elisia does it, but she bakes up the MOST delicious chocolate chip cookies at Teddy V. Patisserie. They are like, two-handed cookies, they are so big! She makes them with and without walnuts. Personally, I like them without walnuts. I usually cut them in half and pop them in the oven for 3-5 minutes to get them warm and melty. She’s also selling new “celebration bags” which have 5 cookies cut up into quarters.

Freeze-Dried Chicken Heart Dog Treats from Chow Hound Raw
Finally, my last “tried and true” stop is Chow Hound Raw. They sell freeze-dried dog treats and raw dog food. My dog Winnie loves the chicken hearts the most. She’s a pretty picky eater and doesn’t like many treats, but she devours these every time I give them to her.