BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KVEO) – Residents in Brownsville got to enjoy a taste of normalcy and homemade goods on Saturday.
The Brownsville farmers market opened for the first time since it shut down in March.
Brownsville resident David Salas rode his bike to the market to support the local vendors. He says he bought “some salsa, some baked goods, some kombucha, some cheese, all this good stuff.”
Miguel Angel Herrera had been selling tamales Veracruzanos since August of last year at the farmers market and said he had to adapt when he was no longer able to. “It was just having to go either house to house, having to contact people through Instagram.”
For other vendors, today was an opportunity to sell the products they had worked on during their time in quarantine.
First time vendor, Irasema Garate says she and her sister were out of work and decided to occupy their minds through painting. They bought cowboy hats and painted the brims with colorful Mexican-style art.
The timing of the reopening was planned with the farmers in mind, said Brownsville Wellness Coalition Executive Director, Vero Dimas Rosenbaum.
“At the end of this month, early November, is when we start getting all the beautiful produce. So we were just waiting for the farmers, because at the end of the day, we are a farmers market and that is our mission. To provide a space for farmers to come and sell,” said Rosenbaum.
Rosenbaum also said the coalition worked with the city to space out the vendors’ tents and added 4 handwashing stations throughout the market.
Hand sanitizer was also available at the entrance and at every vendor.
The farmers market will now be open Saturdays from 9am to 12pm. A yoga class is also available from 8am to 9 am.
It is located at Linear Park in Brownsville.
