For the first time in many years the Coppell Farmers Market will undergo a change in leadership. Members of CFM staff and steering committee are honored to have had the opportunity to work with outgoing committee chair, Karen Pearsall Gillham, for over seven successful years. Incoming committee chair, Peggy Rosson, has been working alongside Karen since January of this year, and the baton was officially passed last Wednesday, April 19th, during a Coppell Farmers Market committee... | Read More
Articles
Collaboration at its Best
What do you get when you put a farmer and a chef under one roof? The most delicious quiche. The Coppell Farmers Market has a pretty strait forward mission: to foster a community gathering place with local food production at its center. So, our hearts throbbed when the talents of two particular vendors, Fisher Family Farm and Joe the Baker, came together last week.
I first caught wind of their collaboration when Joe Baker, trained pastry chef and owner of Joe the Baker, LLC, posted a... | Read More
Pasture- Raised Eggs
All farmers and ranchers at the Coppell Farmers Market take pride in raising their laying hens on pasture, and this time of year they are bringing an abundance of eggs to sell. One might ask “What does the term “pasture-raised” mean?”
It’s hard to sift through the continually changing marketing jargon to know what’s best for us, especially when it comes to food. First there was cage-free, then free range. Then we learned that both terms were misleading. Now,... | Read More
Chickens and Eggs
Customers comment that the eggs at the CFM don’t look like those in the grocery store. This is a direct result of varieties of hens running around outside, foraging on the land out in the pasture grasses.
A few years ago, Pat Daly researched the types of hens laying for our market. Most of the hens belong to breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association. The recognized breeds include:
Ameraucana – developed from the Araucana and other breeds and recently recognized by... | Read More
Coming back to the Coppell Farmers Market
By Janet Rensmeyer, Farmers Market Committee Member
“What keeps me coming back to the Coppell Farmers Market?”I was asked this question recently and it made me smile and laugh. My first thoughts were: the market is pretty, full of colors, freshness of the outdoors, people chatting, and everyone is smiling and enjoying the morning. It’s a social time in the community. I always see friends and neighbors. It started to become a part of my world on a weekly basis.
I like to... | Read More
Welcome Full Quiver Farms!
The Coppell Farmers Market is thrilled to add Full Quiver Farms to our vendor list! Many veteran shoppers may remember Full Quiver Farms and their creamy-delicious, spreadable cheeses from our market’s earliest days.
Three generations work together on this Kemp, TX farm and dairy. Although the family will sell only aged and soft cheeses at the Coppell Farmers Market, they also lovingly produce milk, yogurt, pastured beef, pork, chicken and eggs, lacto-fermented vegetables, and... | Read More
Alford Family Farm Photo Essay
The Coppell Farmers Market is thrilled to add another farm to our vendor list. Alford Family Farm made their debut this past Saturday with a variety of produce.
Located in Emory, TX, the farm specializes in growing vegetables and fruits sustainably, without the use of synthetic chemicals. This diversified operation includes vegetables, pecans, blackberries, blueberries, grapes, and irises. Red Waddle pigs and a variety of laying hens are also a part of their farm ecosystem. Farm... | Read More
Learn How Latte Da Makes the Finest Goat’s Milk Cheese
In anticipation of autumn we’re looking back to last November, when Seeds of Sustainability featured Coppell Farmers Market vendor Latte Da Dairy. Seeds of Sustainability is a documentary- style short film series created locally with community education in mind. In this episode the filmmakers visit the dairy to document the source of the fabulous soft and hard cheeses sold weekly at the CFM.
In the opening scene of the farm tour an odd-looking dairy goat makes her debut. She has... | Read More
Texas Farmer Gal Handout
Zero-waste Produce Storage
1 On counterOnions and shallots Lemons, limes, oranges, and other citrus with a thick pith Pears, apples, and stone fruit Avocados Tomatoes (all varieties) Butternut squash2 Refrigerator – in bagsSquash and zucchini (unless being used within 48 hours of picking or purchasing) Lettuces, spinach, and cabbage Cucumbers and okra Carrots (greens clipped and stored separately to be used within 48 hours of purchase) Fennel... | Read More
Photo Essay: North Texas Farms and Cheese Shop
To learn more about our producers, their practices, and their dedication to local food the Coppell Farmers Market Committee visits their operations. Since the market’s conception in 2003, these visits have helped us build community with our farmers, and just as importantly, they’ve allowed us teach farmers market shoppers about the source of their food.
This month we’ve visited Dead End Farm, the Eagle Mountain Farmhouse Cheese shop, and Hidden Valley... | Read More