FAT CITY GETS FRESH

Farmers’ market thrives in city among nation’s highest obesity and diabetes rates

More than half of Brownsville’s 170,000 residents are obese and nearly one fourth of them have diabetes.  Though processed food, lard, salt and sugar are culprits in those conditions, a weekly healthy food festival in Brownsville has made inroads to fighting the city’s poor health.

   The Brownsville Farmers’ Market has seen increased attendance throughout the season, with an average 800 people visiting the market every Saturday morning 9am-noon at their location next to the Gladys Porter Zoo.  Last season attendance averaged near 300.

   The market offers primarily pesticide-free food grown by local small farms, so money spent at the market helps create jobs in the local economy. Because the Brownsville Farmers’ Market accepts the Lone Star card, the high quality food to be found there is accessible to any budget.

   Beets, carrots, radishes, grapefruit, dill, rosemary, tomatoes, cabbage, squash, green onion, nopales and dozens of other fresh-grown items can be found there. Plus there’s local honey, grass-fed, hormone free meats, and farm fresh eggs.  In all, about 20 vendors can be found at the market on a typical Saturday.

   Plus the Brownsville Farmers’ market prototyped the region’s first commercial olive-oil tamale and breakfast taco using a flour tortilla that’s also made with olive oil. The tacos are filled with fresh market eggs, offering a truly local dish that’s more healthy and wholesome than traditional lard-tortilla breakfast tacos.

   Mango smoothies and fresh-squeezed juices help wash down those market tacos and tamales.

   52 percent of Brownsville residents are obese, and an additional 32 percent are overweight, according to data from the UT School of Public Health. 19 percent have diabetes, and 23 percent have pre-diabetes.

   Next to the zoo, a children’s museum, fine art museum, and free children’s rock-climbing park, the Brownsville Farmers’ Market offers one of Texas’ finest and healthiest day trips.

   “It’s amazing what we’ve seen,” says market manager David Robledo.

   “Every week more and more people turn to this market for fresh, local food. It makes sense that a market with some of the planet’s healthiest food would thrive in one of the nation’s unhealthiest cities. People are recognizing this and similar markets as a way to battle poor health, while also recognizing the superior quality and flavor of the food that’s available here.”

   An estimated 60 Cameron County jobs have been created in connection with this Market, according to Padre Island Farmers' Market manager Jack Moffitt, who sells veggies he grows at three Cameron County farmers markets.
   For details about the market's role in a month-long Brownsville Earth Fest, visit www.brownearthfest.blogspot.com

   

FARMERS' MARKET & ECO BUS LAUNCH EARTH FEST

ECO-BUS STARTS MONTH-LONG BROWNSVILLE EARTH FEST
Brownsville’s cutting edge bright-blue eco-bus launches
Brownsville Earth Fest on Saturday, March 26. Running on bio-diesel made from discarded vegetable oil, this creation of the Brownsville-based Rio Bravo Wildlife Institute is attaching solar panels and other eco-energy production to a vintage school bus.

The bright-blue eco-bus will park at Brownsville Farmers’ Market on Saturday, March 26 to begin an earth fest that will end at the University of Texas’ Brownsville campus on Earth Day, Thursday, April 21, 9am-1pm, where the bus will join an eco-film fest and other free eco-attractions on campus.

The signature Brownsville Earth Fest event happens Saturday April 16 at Linear Park, 9am-1pm, featuring the eco-bus, Brownsville Farmers’ Market, eco-art market, live music, and prepared food including famous olive-oil tamales.

A healthy kids' cook off April 2 and a chalk art festival April 9  round out the earth friendly line-up.

For more info or to participate visit www.brownearthfest.blogspot.com or call 956.882.5067. Texas Valley musicians, writers, artists, and any person, group or organization wanting to demonstrate an eco-idea or eco-program are welcome.

HEALTHY BARBACOA TACOS, JUMP ROPE CONTEST, AND HEALTHY KIDS' COOK OFF w/ $2,000 IN PRIZES

MORE THAN 800 people shopped at the Brownsville Farmers' Market on Saturday March 12, bringing the market  ever so close to its 1,000 goal. Meet us there 9am-noon every Saturday.

   People come for the fresh food, pesticide-free, that's locally grown. Every dollar spent at the Brownsville Farmers' Market helps a small local farm stay in business and ensures that the region will have dependable, affordable food production when gas prices spike and send food costs soaring. Don't pay the gas costs of shipping your food from China to the grocery store. Shop the Brownsville Farmers' Market and other farmers' markets in the region.

   See how affordable great food can be. And because the Brownsville Farmers' Market accepts the Lone Star card, our food is accessible to everyone.

   Come for the food, but stay for the bright family day. This week we'll have a jump rope contest at the Market, and you can sign up teams for a healthy kids' cook off with $2,000 in prizes. And we'll have an incredible food demonstration with a healthier way to eat barbacoa, that indulgent Texas Valley delicacy.  Look for fresh garlic this week, green onion, tomatoes, daikon, cilantro, nopales, several types of beets, several types of carrots, awesome grapefruit, and of course the Market's famous salad mixes, available from several growers. Plus a whole lot more locally-grown, pesticide-free food.

   Don't forget you can score a healthy local breakfast, too, with breakfast tacos that feature farm eggs and an olive oil flour tortilla. Wash them down with a cool mango smoothie or fresh-squeezed juice. Don't forget our olive oil tamales, the tastiest AND healthiest tamales in the region. And make sure to try the incredible hormone-free beef, lamb, chicken, eggs and more.
  And as always a trip to the Brownsville Farmers' Market offers the best in family fun, with $3 admission to the children's museum during market hours, a free rock-climbing park, and the Gladys Porter Zoo all within walking distance. So pack your ice chests, load up the kids, and head out to one of Texas' finest day trips at the Brownsville Farmers' Market.

FAT VALLEY CITY GETS FRESH

TV story on Brownsville's Obesity and Diabetes Epidemic and the Brownsville Farmers' Market

Brownsville city commissioners trying to fight obesity with farmers market

The One-Thousand Fresh Food Party

SEVEN HUNDRED PEOPLE enjoyed the Brownsville Farmers' Market on Saturday morning, March 5. That's 700 people who filled their week with the finest fruits and vegetables available.

   Please invite your friends and family to this incredibly wholesome event, and help us bring 1,000 people to our Market this Saturday.

   Every purchase supports a local farmer, so the money spent at our market directly improves our health and economy. But truth is that the Brownsville Farmers' Market is simply one of Texas' finest day trips.

   Next to the Gladys Porter Zoo, a free rock-climbing playground, a fine art museum and a childrens' museum with reduced $3 admission during market hours, The Brownsville Farmers' Market is the Saturday-morning place to be for young and old alike.

   Take advantage of our market's incredible food. Score a healthy breakfast taco using an olive oil tortilla  filled with farm fresh market eggs. Wash it down with a refreshing mango smoothie or fresh-squeezed juice.  Our food often beats grocery store prices, and The Brownsville Farmers' market accepts the Lone Star card, so our amazingly healthy food is accessible to everyone on any budget.
   Take in the sounds of Mr. Whiskey, the skilled blue-grass trio that's generating plenty of buzz. And browse the arts and crafts fair sponsored by the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art.

   See for yourself what everyone's been talking about--the Texas Valley's finest and freshest weekly party.

   This fresh food celebration is held every Saturday morning, 9am-noon at 6th & Ringgold, across the street from the Gladys Porter Zoo.

      Like us on FACEBOOK and see you there.

HEALTHY KIDS' COOK OFF: $2,000 in prizes

Healthy Kids Cook Off Jam! is an exciting way to get children thinking about what they eat & making the changes to a more nutritional and healthy diet. It allows the imagination and creativity of children to shine. And the winning entry will earn a $1,000 certificate from Walmart for their school or qualified nonprofit organization, $600 for 2^nd place, and $400 for 3^rd.

    No entry fee is required. Teams can seek a sponsor like a local restaurant, and ask their chef to help them create a healthy main dish or dessert entree. Or a farmer and ask them to support their efforts with fresh produce. The possibility is endless and extends the excitement to the community.

    Our youth will not only learn what is healthy for them, but they will have fun doing so. 

    If you have any questions please contact Rio Bravo Wildlife Institute’s Outreach Director Joe Boswell at 404.729.2644 or jboswell@rbwi.org for additional information.

    Sign up on Saturday at The Brownsville Farmers' Market, 9am-noon, next to the zoo at 6th & Ringgold. Or for a entry-form click here.

    We hope to see you on Saturday, April 2nd at Lincoln Park.

THE NEW BEET GENERATION: BROWNSVILLE'S WEEKLY FOOD FEST

BEETS ARE nutritional powerhouses. Don't like the taste of beets? Even die hard beet haters like roasted golden beets. Golden beets are just as nutritious as their crimson cousins, but have a sweeter, less earthy taste and are especially good roasted and served in a mixed salad with feta cheese. They are also good sliced and served on crusty bread with goat cheese and arugula. Get your golden beets by Acacia Farms at the Brownsville Farmers' Market this Saturday morning, 9am-noon, next to the zoo at 6th & Ringgold. Acacia farms is one of 20 vendors who sell food at our market, harvesting carrots, onions, broccoli, cabbage, incredible salad mixes and much more  this time of the year, plus several herbs spanning rosemary, thyme and cilantro. We also feature grass fed meats and farm eggs. And we've got olive-oil tamales and breakfast tacos, plus fresh squeezed juices to wash it down.

It's a huge day planned at the Texas Valley's funnest farmers' market this Saturday March 5. Free vision checks, glucose checks, body mass indexes. A story hour for the kiddos. And an awesome fresh food demonstration that incorporates market ingredients: VEGGIE SUSHI.

PLUS, SIGN UP FOR A KIDS' HEALTHY FOOD COOK-OFF

$1,000 for first place, $600 for second place, and $400 for third in a Walmart credit card. Two to 6 children, plus 1 chaperon and 1 adult chef per team.

AND DON'T FORGET

$3 admission to the Children's Museum of Brownsville during market hours www.cmofbrownsville.com and free admission to the new rock-climbing park that's across the street from our market. Also next to the zoo and a fine art museum, our market is one of the finest day trips in Texas. Bring your ice coolers to store your food, and stick around with the fam to have fun at the many attractions in walking distance.