Is there anything better than shaking hands with the person who made your cheese? I love my local farmer’s market and go whenever I can. Cowtown Farmers Market is open year round on Saturday from 8 am until…well I’m not sure when because you have to get there pretty close to 8 am to get eggs. My dog is less enthusiastic than I am about leaving the house so early but I promise she perks up when we get to the market!

I won’t bore you with the details, but we had a diversion and didn’t get to the market until about 8:45 am. Luckily since it’s not quite peak season, we were still able to get eggs. Lazy CJ Farm and Ranch has Americana chickens and if you ask for them, you’ll get these ridiculously beautiful blue eggs. They’re so hard to photograph. They’re actually much more blue in person than in pictures. The yolks are bright orange and look nothing like supermarket eggs.

I asked if the blue eggs taste different from the brown eggs they offer and the owners said no. I just love the novelty of having these unusual eggs in the fridge. They make me smile every time I use them! I went ahead and got two dozen since eggs easily last for a month in the fridge. I think I’ll make some deviled eggs for an appetizer tonight.

Next we had to visit the queen of jam. Working Farms makes the BEST jam. She has a wide variety of flavors ranging from classic to innovative. Her strawberry chocolate is a real treat! This time I picked up blueberry maple vanilla jam. How could I not? I love all of those words! I also picked up a loaf of Brioche from Black Rooster Bakery to go with the jam.

Next I wanted to pick up something for Sunday supper. Gabby found the perfect booth: grass fed, locally-raised beef. I purchased a gorgeous flank steak from Ash Creek Farms. I’ve always been impressed with their meat so I’m excited to try their flank steak!

Next, I wanted to pick up some greens to go with dinner: microgreens to pile on top of the grilled flank steak. Yum! I love microgreens because they have all the nutrients of greens in a tiny, compact package. Plus they make every dish beautiful. I often toss them with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and pile them on top of meat. Mineral Wells Aquaponics has delicious microgreens and they seem to last forever in the fridge.

Finally I went to the Latte Da Dairy booth for some manchego cheese to sprinkle on top of the flank steak. To my absolute delight, I discovered the goat farm is having an OPEN HOUSE to meet the goats. This is taking the “eat local” movement to the next level and I’m absolutely going. It’s from 11 am – 3 pm on May 1st at the farm in Flower Mound (1304 Bridle Bit, Flower Mound). I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday!

A few more photos from yesterday’s trip to the market: