Warm weather and a festive Christmas market kick off this winter market season Saturday, enticing customers to come Christmas shop in the fresh air. The Horny Toad Rangers will add their original folk music to the lively atmosphere. The Cavalli Pizza truck will be firing up their ovens for onsite breakfast and lunch pizzas, definitely worth a taste test if customers haven’t tried these yet.
Artisan vendors have planned some holiday offerings for gift giving. In the bakery line, Wackym’s Kitchen fills decorative holiday tins with a cookie assortment. Paul Wackym will also take custom orders and ship for you less expensively than you can ship yourself. ARay of cakes features White Peppermint Kiss cakeballs this month for holiday giving and entertaining.
For the cooks on the list, Good Spices will package three seasonings of choice into a tube ready for stocking stuffing. Apetito has added to their line and also has gift baskets, particularly popular for out of state recipients who are missing Texas flavors. Texas Olive Oil makes a nice addition, particularly for someone who enjoys making their own salad dressings.
Grapevine Grains has individual packages of instant oatmeal flavors that will fit nicely into stockings. For a special surprise down in the toe, place a tube of Round Rock Honey’s lip balm, made from bees wax as recommended by national medical doctors. Don’t forget the four legged friends on your list who would enjoy healthy homemade doggie treats.
Other gift choices include homemade sauces, pesto, soup and dip mixes, local honey, soaps, scrubs, soy candles and more. The gardener in the family might appreciate a PreMade Working Worm Bin from Texas Worm Ranch, all ready to add your own compostables.
Las Brumas from El Salvador is the Christmas coffee offering from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters. Shannon visited this coffee farm last year. The owner Ernest “takes great pride in his coffee and it carries through in the cup.”
Two new soup mixes are recent popular sales from Grapevine Grains: Ezekiel or Black and Red Bean and Barley. Linn Madsen has cooked up quite a selection of sorbet. She can help you select a dessert variety or one to make a unique punch.
Stock up on winter produce to last until the next market January 12. Winter greens, firm squashes, salad greens, tomatoes, pecans, apples, herbs and other produce should be readily available with the warm weather. Root vegetables include turnips, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and onions. True free range eggs and pastured beef, pork, lamb, and chicken, Alaskan wild caught salmon, and Gulf seafood should also be for sale.
Frozen ravioli and tamales, pasta, baked goods, pies, chips and salsa vendors will bring their specialty goods as well. Winter hardy plants and herbs will also be for sale.
The Coppell Farmers Market continues with Winter Markets on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays, January through March, 8 AM until noon in Old Town Coppell at 793 S. Coppell Rd. Lone Star Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) and bank ATM cards can be used to purchase wooden market tokens at the picnic tables and used like cash at the Coppell Farmers Market vendor booths. More information is available at www.coppellfarmersmarket.org.