This event began 03/27/2013 and repeats every week until 06/26/2013
City Hall Farmers Market has more than 35 vendors.
“The City Hall Farmers Market has not only provided Houstonians, particularly those who live and work downtown, access to fresh, local produce and locally produced lunch items, it has created community and turned City Hall and its grounds into an interactive, vibrant place that people want to be,” said Laura Spanjian, Houston’s Sustainability Director.
After a successful pilot program started in October 2010, the City of Houston now permanently hosts the City Hall Farmers Market, a member of Urban Harvest’s family of farmers markets, each Wednesday along both sides of City Hall’s reflection pool. The public can enjoy lunch and pick up groceries while supporting local, fresh and sustainable food amidst Houston’s dramatic downtown urban setting. The market showcases more than 35 “micro businesses,” including produce farmers, cheesemakers, coffee roasters and baristas, bakers, prepared food vendors & food trucks, olive oil producers and more. The market also boasts live music, a Community Table, and My Table magazine Chef’s Corner which hosts Houston’s top culinary talent preparing and serving samples of dishes made with market products.
The City Hall Farmers Market, made possible through a community partnership between the City of Houston and Urban Harvest, is the most recent addition to Mayor Annise Parker’s local food initiative. In June 2010, the City’s first vegetable container garden was built at the Bob Lanier Public Works Building, highlighting local produce and educating Houstonians about the ease of maintaining a vegetable garden in any type of environment. Employees on each floor of the building “adopted” individual containers and lovingly maintain them to create a wonderful touch of green within the cityscape. And, on September 30, 2010, Mayor Parker along with representatives from project partners, broke ground on the City Hall Victory Garden in Tranquillity Park to promote nutrition, health, sustainability and self-reliance. The victory garden not only has health, environmental and economic benefits, but the vegetable gardens also create community.
Downtown dwellers and employees are encouraged to walk to the market. Those coming from outside of downtown can select metered street parking; or garage parking at the Tranquillity Park garage (400 Rusk) – $3 for up to one hour, $6 for 1 to 2 hours) or Hobby Center (800 Bagby) – $2 per hour (with max of $10) on days without Hobby Center events.
The City Hall Farmers Market is wheelchair-accessible, and an ATM machine is conveniently located on-site. For more information on the market or to apply to be a vendor, contact Urban Harvest at 713.880.-5540 or visitt UrbanHarvest.org.
ABOUT URBAN HARVEST: Urban Harvest promotes healthy communities, sound nutrition and respect for the environment by educating children and adults and facilitating harvest and habitat gardens. Urban Harvest Farmers Markets help educate the public about the benefits of eating local produce in season and provides the local agricultural community with a direct outlet for their products. For more information, visit www.urbanharvest.org.
