Once a week my husband, Mike, and I engage in a delightful excursion in a hidden treasure near downtown Houston. It has the feel of entering a different world where joy and plenty are in abundance. It is a foodie heaven, a cornucopia of many flavors. Of course I am talking about the farmer’s market on Airline Drive just north of the downtown area. There we engage in the ancient art of exploring the stalls filled with delightful treats at prices that would please the most astute trader. 

We’ve been going to a farmer’s market in this location for decades now but the newest iteration is modern, airy and filled with joy. Vendors bring their best offerings of fruit, vegetables, nuts, spices, plants, cookware and odds and ends for the public to peruse and hopefully purchase. Music and laughter fill the air as though a big party is in process. There is a kind of joviality to it all that lifts the spirit and brings smiles to the faces of everyone enjoying the experience. Best of all bargains abound. 

In an age of higher prices for produce this farmer’s market is the place to be. I find fresh, juicy oranges that would sell for a fortune in a regular store being sold at a price so low that I indulge myself with a dozen to enjoy for a week. I have recently purchased twelve beautiful tomatoes for only two dollars., three bunches of gorgeous green onions for a dollar and freshly shelled pecans that have not sat in a bag for months for five dollars. The prices and the quality of the items can’t be beaten anywhere else. Best of all the atmosphere is friendly and exciting.

Tucked among the vendors of fine produce there is the Alamo Tamale Company where delicious tamales of many varieties can be eaten on site or taken home for another day. A meat store boasts some of the most beautiful cuts that I have ever seen. There are people selling jewelry and even clothing for prices that seem almost too good to be true. Children and families stroll through the narrow walkways enjoying a day away from their everyday worries. Everyone seems to find something that they must take home and nobody feels as though their budgets have been busted. 

For those who are really adventurous a bakery sits across the street with lovely traditional Mexican breads and pastries just waiting to find their way into the homes of those lucky enough to have found the place. Across the way pottery from Mexico and South America is stacked sky high with its brilliant colors luring garden enthusiasts to come take a look. Seafood is for sale or ready to eat on the spot at another location. All in all the area has the same feel as a London market with vendors offering such a variety of items that being there becomes like a hunt for treasure. 

Be sure to bring cash when you come. Everything is old school, nobody uses credit cards. If you forget there are ATM machines posted here and there ready to accept your card and dole out cash to use. If you plan to buy a great deal you might bring a wagon to haul your goodies as many people do. On your first venture you may just want to familiarize yourself with the offerings and get to know who seems to sell at the best prices. Maybe you just want to be part of the celebration, enjoying the aroma of the spices and the sounds of chatter and joy. However you wish to participate you will walk away feeling glorious, vowing to return as soon as possible. 

Since Mike and regularly check on his father and his father’s house which are both nearby the market we have become regular customers for certain items that we use in abundance. We zip in and out most of the time now but always leave with big smiles on our faces, wondering why more people who live in the Houston area do not make the market a regular destination much like Borough Market in London or the market in Seattle. Surely even guests to our city would enjoy the adventure as much as we do. 

Saturdays and Sundays are like a carnival with all of the sights and sounds and sense of celebration. Weekdays are slower and offer the best prices. Everything is fresh from the Texas valley tempting shoppers to stop and select a bit of this and that for lunch boxes or their nightly dinners. It’s a way to hike and get those miles on the watch without the boredom of simply treading down a boring trail. 

I get a wee bit more adventurous each time that I visit the Airline Farmer’s Market. I try new things and tarry a bit longer at the different stalls. There is so much to see, so much to experience and if you take the right route home you might even want to stop in at one of the oldest Shipley’s Donuts store where the sugary orbs seem to taste better than anywhere else. The secret of this fabulous part of town should be known to everyone who enjoys doing things that are out of the ordinary. You won’t regret the trip that you make.