Ahead in its field
Houston harvests ranking as one of top U.S. cities for farmers markets
Houston has plowed through most of the competition to be named one of the best cities in the country for farmers markets.
Gardens Alive, a supplier of environmentally friendly products for gardeners, places Houston at No. 3 on its new list of the best cities for farmers markets. San Antonio the only other Texas city to appear in the top 10, lands at No. 6.
To rate the best cities for farmers markets, Gardens Alive looked at data for the 50 largest U.S. cities in seven categories:
- Number of farmers markets.
- Number of organic farmers markets.
- Number of winter markets.
- Number of farmers markets that take credit cards.
- Average temperature difference from 70 degrees.
- Average annual rainfall.
- Walk score.
Gardens Alive didn’t detail how Houston or San Antonio performed in each category, but Houston achieved a score of 29.8 out of a possible 50, while the Alamo City earned an overall score of 24.4.
With a score of 42.9, Los Angeles topped the ranking.
“We weren’t surprised to see a [California] city at the top of the list due to the Golden State’s reputation for trends like farm to table, sustainable food sourcing, organic farming, and more,” Gardens Alive says. “We were surprised, however, to see just how far ahead of the pack Los Angeles was.”
Texas A&M AgriLife lists 12 farmers markets in the city of Houston. One of them is the Urban Harvest Saturday Farmers Market.
“Sparking a wave of similar markets around the greater Houston area, this market launched with a mere seven vendors in 2004. Today, it hosts more than 90 merchants, making it one of the largest in the state,” CultureMap reported in April.
Across the country, more than 8,600 farmers markets are registered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Visiting farmers markets is an inspiring way to fully realize the value of fresh, locally grown produce,” Gardens Alive observes. “It allows us to get to know the people who grow our food and see exactly where that food comes from. However, we learned that not every city makes it easy to experience the myriad benefits of farmers market trips.”
