The New Braunfels Farmers Market is a colorful, community filled experience held on Saturday’s in the Downtown area. Vegetables, meats and assorted treats fill the air with delicious smells and tasty samples. Each vendor has a unique product and story to tell.
Photos by Briana Trevino
Article by Sarah Sanchez
During the week, a small, quiet lot in New Braunfels is nothing special but extra parking space for the customers eating at Krause’s Biergarten Café or The Downtowner. However, come Saturday morning around 9 AM, this small parking lot will be overflowed with hundreds of people waiting their turn to purchase all sorts of local, New Braunfels goods.
For the past eight years, the New Braunfels Farmers Market has served the community by providing fresh local produce, unique artisan crafts and tons of delicious delicacies. Open every Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM, the NBFM has grown from 20 to nearly 100 vendors selling goods ranging from microgreen sprouts and succulents to homemade wooden toys and stone jewelry.
Most of the vendors are citizens of New Braunfels, making the farmers market a convenient source for them to sell their products and allow their small companies and brands to grow. Some popular vendors that are present most Saturdays are Gold Star Kettle Corn, Naegelin Farms produce, Pingo de Mel Brazilian Bakery, On the Grind Coffee, and The Kraft Garden, a popular microgreen vendor.
Andrew De Leon, who works with Fond Bone Broth, a company that creates “Bone Broth Tonics” with ingredients from local farms, says that Fond has been coming to the NBFM for the past two years.
“The environment is a good atmosphere, and you get to talk to people about health and nutrition,” De Leon said. “Everyone’s got a good vibe to them.”
The NBFM is tucked in between two popular New Braunfels restaurants, The Downtowner and Krause’s Biergarten and Café. A year ago, Krause’s, a German influenced restaurant, reopened its door again in its original location after being closed for over ten years. Since it’s reopening, it has helped increase the traffic as well as provide extra space for more vendors and places for people to sit and enjoy the many food options available both at the restaurant and the farmers market. While Krause’s and NBFM don’t collaborate directly with each other, the restaurant will schedule musical performances during the time the farmers market is open and the NBFM will share the Krause’s live music page on their own Facebook page.
Taylor Terpstra is a head waitress at Krause’s. However, she also run the social media and newsletter for the NBFM. She says that while some restaurant servers may be annoyed at people who fill up their table with farmers market goods instead of ordering food, she enjoys having it right there because it brings a more diverse crowd into Krause’s.
“I love that locals have made a routine of going to the farmers market and then stopping for lunch or breakfast at Krause’s,” Terpstra said. “Both have become part of their Saturday lives.”
This Saturday, just like all Saturdays, the New Braunfels Farmers Market will be open from 9 to 1.
To learn more about the New Braunfels Farmers Market, or to find out what vendors will be present or bands will be playing, people can visit their website or Facebook page.
Video by Kelsey Maxfield
