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August, 2024

8 Friendliest Towns to Visit In Texas

FULSHEAR

Set on the northwestern corner of Fort Bend County, this charming community of around 35,000 takes pride in its agricultural heritage. The town of Fulshear has an air of warmth and friendliness, evident during the Fulshear Farmers Market. Over 90 local vendors gather to exhibit freshly plucked farm produce and baked goods, setting the stage for good-natured interactions with tourists interested in a fun shopping experience. Fulshear has serene natural areas whose atmosphere reflects the overall mood in the town. Arbor Park offers an ideal spot for those who want to experience the calmness of Mother Nature.

Visitors can choose from different hang-out spots to relax after a long day and enjoy a hearty meal or refreshing drink. If you love craft beers, Project Halo Brewing produces tasty crafts and serves them in a warm and welcoming setting.

TEXAS-REAL FOOD

Farmers Market in Fulshear - 2023

Ramona Ridge, the visionary behind Forever Fulshear Farmers' Market, transformed obstacles into a thriving community hub. Since its inception on August 2, 2014, this market has secured its place among Houston's top 10 Farmers’ Markets, celebrated for its exceptional quality and reasonable prices. Operating every Saturday year-round, it proudly offers goods sourced within a 200-mile radius of Fulshear, with the added charm of local artists and craftspeople on the first Saturdays of each month. Join us in embracing this vibrant market experience!

From fresh produce, eggs, and prepared meals to pet goods and supplies, shop ‘til you drop at these bountiful markets

Fulshear Farmers Market

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, the Fulshear Farmers Market spotlights food and other products sourced from within a 200-mile radius of the city. There’s a lot to explore here, ranging from Ole Boy Brazos Bottom Farm’s organic produce and free-range eggs to decadent baked goods from Mrs. Richardson’s Kitchen.

VANBROOKE NEWS

Posted on Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Where do Vanbrooke residents go for farm-fresh produce, locally sourced meats and local wines? The Fulshear Farmers Market, of course.

Run by Ramona Ridge of Forever Fulshear, the market has been a Saturday morning tradition for Fort Bend residents since 2014. All of the fruits, vegetables and food products sold at the market were grown or produced within a 200-mile radius of Fulshear.

The list of vendors is lengthy but on any given day you are sure to be able to fill your canvas shopping bag with seasonal vegetables and fruit, fresh seafood, artisan breads, pastured Red Wattle pork, Dorper lamb, certified grass-fed Wagyu beef, eggs, free-range chicken, baked goods, cold-pressed juices, sauces & spices, locally roasted and blended coffees, plants and more. The first Saturdays of each month include selections from local artists and craftspeople. Most Saturdays there is at least one food truck, if not more.

The Fulshear Farmers Market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday — rain or shine — at 9035 Bois D’Arc Lane, Fulshear, TX 77441. Come out for the fresh food and to support the smallest of small businesses. Hope to see you there.

entertain HOUSTON

POSTED ON NOVEMBER 9, 2021

Team_entertainHouston
Fulshear Farmers Market

Having started with 12 vendors way back in August of 2014, Fulshear Farmers Market has come a long way and is now a much looked forward to destination for many on a Saturday morning. It is a laid-back market with a decidedly upbeat atmosphere. You can find everything from bread, eggs, meat, and fresh produce to cut flowers, juices, handmade soaps, and food hampers that make great gifts.

The USP of the market is that it accepts only vendors who grow or produce goods within a 200-mile radius of Fulshear. This keeps the products fresh and local, the carbon footprint down, and contributes to the local economy and the environment.

• Website: https://fulshearfarmersmarket.com/
• Address: 9035 Bois D’Arc Ln, Fulshear, TX 77441
• Timing: 9 am – 1 pm every Saturday
• Phone: +1 713-703-4129

FULSHEAR STAR, 2018

Interview with Ramona Ridge

The Forever Fulshear Farmers’ Market (FFFM) opened its “doors” for the first time on Aug. 2nd, 2014. We opened that day with 12 vendors and no food trucks but the community support was phenomenal and the FFM was an immediate success.

It had been several years that I had tried to figure out how to get the overabundance of vegetables grown by residents in the Bois d’Arc area to those in our new Master Planned communities. Doug Konopka, of DHK Development stepped up by offering the old Winter Gordon Dirt Yard land for us to use. Doug had recently purchased the land and knew that it would be a couple of years before he would begin to develop so he kindly agreed to let us use it in the interim, as he envisioned a future Public Market at that location. Five acres of an empty field was perfect for a famers’ market and an ideal addition to keeping our “country charm and character”.

The first step was to get all of the proper permitting by the Health Department. Easy, right? NO!  I made an appointment to meet with them and discuss my plans, having no idea that this endeavor would be looked upon as badly as if I had asked to sell body parts. Really, freshly made baked goods, local honey and fruits and vegetables? I was given about 15 hoops that I would have to jump through to make this a reality.

A few tears and much discussion later, the hoops had all been jumped through and the permits given. Several wonderful sponsors made sure we had enough money to pay for those permits. DHK Development, Mike and Lisa Mobley, Texas Country Properties, American Tax Advisors, New First Bank, Angie Ballis Massage, Above Grade Level Tutoring, Fulshear Mini Storage, Executive Finance Management, CivilCorp, and Martin Mortgage made the beginning possible.

Next on my agenda was finding enough vendors to make it worthwhile for patrons to shop with us. While I have many neighbors with big vegetable gardens, that just would not be enough to sustain a true market. I sent emails to my fellow Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners and anyone else I could think of (along with a Facebook plea) that might know someone who needed an outlet for their produce or homemade goodies.

The responses came in slowly: “How long have you been open?” “Well, we’re not actually open yet.”; “Where were you located previously?” “Um, nowhere.”; “How many patrons do you expect?” “Sorry, I have no idea.”  And the best one “Where is Fulshear?”!! We wanted to be careful that every vendor we accepted grew or produced their goods within a 200 mile radius of Fulshear so as to keep the carbon footprint down and assure that all of the offerings were fresh and local. To this day, we visit each farm to insure that our farmers are growing the produce they bring to our Market.

My dear neighbor, Rosie McCusker was one of the first vendors to sign up with her hyper-local honey. Rosie lives just a mile down the road from the market and keeps her bees there. Yay, we had our first vendor! Next, Kookie’s Cakes and Pies asked to join us so we had our fresh breads and baked goods. Natasha’s Naturals chimed in with their line of natural bath and body products; Texas T Kobe Beef asked to join us from Orchard with their amazing Wagyu beef cuts; Salinas Salsa (now Salsa Works) wanted in with their Houston Chili Pepper Festival Award Winning salsas; Fruitwich jumped in with their all natural fruit snacks; Schilling Farms and Sunshine Acres wanted to bring their farm fresh eggs; and Paleo asked to bring their nut butters. Now, we needed some fresh fruit and vegetables to be a “true” farmers’ market. The Master Gardeners stepped up with Three Sisters Farms and Looper Farms requesting to join us and, a few hours later Ole Boy Brazos Bottom Farm called. We had what we needed to open.

Opening Day saw about 400-500 visitors come and most of our vendors sold out. The word spread in the vendor community and we were in! The next few weeks saw more wonderful vendor additions and more and more patrons. Residents were delighted to have a place to buy fresh produce, farm eggs and other homemade goodies. Plus, the Market also became a friendly social spot on Saturday mornings. Neighbors could meet, chat, shop together and meet new neighbors.

Because of our permits, we were surrounded by food with nothing to eat. No one was allowed to cook onsite because our old septic system had been installed before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality enforced permitting and our older well was not permitted. Sure, you could bite into a head of lettuce but we needed a way of having cooked food. I had been a fan of food trucks for years, bringing the very first ones to Fulshear for the first Fulshear Art Walk (after much arguing that they were far from “roach coaches”). Another huge hurdle; there were almost no good food trucks that had Ft. Bend County permits. The temporary permits that I had pulled for the Art Walk were $50 and a yearly permit was $200, a lot to pay for a small food truck.

Serendipity popped up again when Neal Werner called me. A friend had given him my number and Neal was just starting his first Cousin’s Maine Lobster food truck, to be located in Fort Bend County, fresh off the television show Shark Tank. Could he join us? You bet! The perfect storm of gorgeous weather, Valentine’s Day 2014, and the first Cousin’s Maine Lobster truck in the Houston area came together that day. The Fulshear Farmers’ Market had over 2,000 visitors, who made a queue that snaked around the entire market grounds, and the poor cooks in the Cousin’s truck tumbled out the truck’s back door around 3:00 p.m., after running out of 150 pounds of lobster and cooking for 6 straight hours. The word was in the food truck community; my phone blew up with requests from food trucks, asking to be on our rotation. Yes, finally!

I think most know where Fulshear is now. The Market has grown to over 30 vendors most Saturdays and offers a dazzling array of locally grown or produced food and food products, usually with a food truck. We have lost a couple of vendors to contracts with large grocery stores, but we are so happy for them. They regularly come back to visit with their Fulshear “family” and we’re always happy to see them. The Fulshear Farmers’ Market will continue to grow and offer local delights for years to come. Thank you to all who support us!

VOYAGE HOUSTON, 2017

Fulshear Farmer’s Market – Locally Sourced, Thoroughly Enjoyed

Kristy Smith | May 19, 2017

The Forever Fulshear Farmers’ Market, run by Ramona Ridge of Forever Fulshear, has become a destination for many on a Saturday morning. Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure and opportunity to meet Ramona and get a guided tour, complete with time to chat with the vendors.

Ramona greeted me right away, and took me under her wing for the morning. The atmosphere was lively and friendly, and it felt great to be in the middle of it as Ramona fielded questions from potential vendors and chatted with friends and newcomers alike. Overall, the tone of the market is laid back, but purposeful. Guests are there to get their eggs, bread, meat and produce, and maybe even some cut flowers or juices, soaps, or food-related gifts. There are plenty of options and people have their favorites.

Nearly everyone I spoke to said they enjoyed this particular market because it was a place that caters to those who are actually looking for honest food and food-related products that are sourced, grown and produced locally, many times by the very people selling them. There was a sense that this market was true to the purpose of farmers’ markets: to get food to people, rather than being a place where anyone can set up a tent and sell anything just to make a buck.

I spoke with many of the vendors that morning, and my only regret was that my husband had my wallet.

My first stop was with James and Beverly of Ole Boy Brazos Bottom Farm. They love what they do, and it shows. They sell certified organic produce, and James calls himself the “carrot converter,” claiming to make a carrot-lover out of even the most stubborn vegetable avoiders! So, if you need your kids – or your grownups! – to eat their veggies, go visit Ole Boy’s tent, you won’t be disappointed.

I also had the pleasure of learning about bees and bee keeping from Roy of Imperial Honey. If you’re looking for local honey from a knowledgeable and reliable source, go see Roy and ask him about his can of bees.

I worked my way down the line chatting with nearly everyone: I sampled kombucha from The Kombucha Company (they have a popular bottle exchange program); You can’t miss Jay Kolbe of Takona Soaps, and Schilling Farms is always popular; Little Emma’s Seafood and Jessica’s Tamales were busy with paying customers; Brenham Kitchen sells dried fruit and nuts, and their tomatillo and white chocolate sauce was amazing; Seebu Farms offers fresh and pickled quail eggs, and Marie and Toby Hogan of New Frontier Pecan House are newcomers who have had a very good response in Fulshear.

Kumar of Koldprezz Organic Raw Juice loves the Fulshear market and was nearly sold out by the time I got there; I sampled the peach, pecan and amaretto preserves from The Great San Saba River Pecan Company and swooned; If you’re looking for organic treats for your dog (or cat), The Doggie Snack Bar has them; We purchased a gorgeous bouquet of cut flowers in a mason jar from Soni of Local Flora, and the ladies from Waypoint Farm had great things to say about our Fulshear Market.

Has it been a smooth road?
Our faithful vendors brave the heat, cold and usually rain, to be consistent and provide for our community.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Fulshear Farmers’ Market story. Tell us more about the business.
The Fulshear Farmers’ Market is located on FM 1093 and Bois d’Arc lane in Fulshear, Texas. All of our vendors grow, raise, cook or produce within a 200-mile radius of Fulshear.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Shoppers are trusting the big grocery stores less and less. They are learning that it is best to know exactly where their food comes from and how it was grown, made, or raised.