TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
Have you ever wandered the produce section at the grocery store and considered where the fruits and vegetables you are buying come from? Maybe they are from another state, or it is possible they have even been flown to your local market from another country. Either way, the produce at your local grocery store is probably not fresh or locally grown. While fresh and locally grown may be ideal, it is not realistic to believe most of us will plant our own gardens and grow all the fruits and vegetables we want and need. Luckily, Texarkana residents have incredible farmers’ markets where the fresh produce options are bountiful. And because of our twin city status, we are doubly fortunate to have two farmers’ markets, one on either side of the state line. Both markets have local vendors offering vast amounts of produce, crafts, baked goods, canned goods, meat, etc. The Arkansas side farmers’ market started in 1991 when the board of directors, the Four States Farmers’ Market Association, was established. The market was originally on Front Street. On August 16, 1997, Rick Hall, John Turner and LuAnne Dean started Gateway Farmers Market, and they moved it to its current location at 602 East Jefferson. This season, Gateway Farmers Market is celebrating 25 years of business. Cindy Gladden is the current Market Manager and is serving her second year. One of Gladden’s many jobs is to inspect every farm to ensure the vegetables are grown locally by the vendor before they can be sold at the market. She also makes sure everything runs smoothly on market days. Gateway Farmers Market is open to the public every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 7:00 am until noon, or until everything is sold out. This year there will be 23 permanent vendors and several day vendors. The market season begins each year in May and usually lasts until September, weather permitting. There is a wide variety of tomatoes, beans, peas, cabbage, okra, carrots, radishes, lettuce, beets, zucchini, squash, peppers, greens, onions, potatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, peaches, blueberries and honey. Besides the abundance of produce, many vendors sell homemade crafts, baked goods and a wide variety of jellies. You will also find canned goods such as salsa, relish and pickles and for meat lovers, there is even locally raised USDA beef and pork, ready to stock your freezers.
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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