Texas Farmers’ Market’s annual Silent Auction is back with an incredible list of items to bid on, from gift cards to beloved local restaurants and Austin gems, to cooking classes and camps for kids. The silent auction is TFM’s largest annual fundraiser, with proceeds supporting the non-profit organization, their Ag Producer Support Fund, and BIPOC Farmer Scholarship. The auction will run online from October 23rd – November 19th 2023, leading up to the first ever Farmers’ Market Mystery Box Throwdown.
On Sunday, November 19th at Mueller, local chefs Philip Speer of Comedor and Colter Peck of Elementary will face off, cooking show style, to prepare a dish using a mystery box of ingredients from market vendors. The event will be emceed by Field Guide Festival, an annual event that brings together local farmers, chefs, and community around our local food system.
“We are so grateful to this community, and to everyone who has donated to this year’s silent auction, who recognize the importance of supporting local farmers and farmers’ markets,” states Executive Director Laura McDonald. “Every time there is an extreme weather incident it reinforces why it is so important to have access to fresh, local, food. As you do your holiday shopping this season, consider bidding on one of our fantastic auction items and know that your money is going towards supporting your local farmers and growing our local food system.”
Texas Farmers’ Market Fall Silent Auction
Dates: October 23 – November 19 2023 (Online)
Texas Farmers’ Market’s annual silent auction will run online from October 23, 2023 – November 19th, 2023. Shoppers will be able to bid on a variety of items including gift cards to local businesses and restaurants, event tickets, gift baskets, and summer camp and cooking classes for kids. The auction website will go live on Monday October 23rd at 10am, and will close on November 19th at 1pm. Winning bidders will be able to pick up their items at the Mueller market that Sunday between 1pm and 2pm, or the following weekend.
Auction link (will go live on 10/23 at 10am): https://www.32auctions.com/texasfarmersmarket2023.
Ag Producer Support Fund
The Ag Producer Support Fund is the grant-making arm of Texas Farmers’ Market created in order to support farmers, ranchers, and all producer vendors during times of medical, environmental, or other crisis. It has been instrumental in helping farmers get back on their feet quickly during events like Winter Storm Uri (during which TFM distributed over $20k in immediate grant assistance), last year’s ice storm, and the hail storm just last week.
BIPOC Scholarship
TFM expanded the Ag Producer Support Fund in 2021 to include a scholarship for new Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) farmers who would like to become vendors at our farmers’ markets. Through this scholarship, TFM recognizes the institutional barriers that farmers of color have endured for centuries, from access to credit, land and resources, as well as discriminatory practices at the USDA, and is working to do our part in expanding access to sales channels for BIPOC farmers. The $1,350 scholarship covers the initial annual fee for agricultural producers joining TFM and 6 months of booth fees. All sustainable fruit and vegetable farmers that self-identify as BIPOC and are located within 150 miles of Austin are encouraged to apply at this link.
Farmers’ Market Mystery Box Throwdown
Sunday, November 19th at Mueller 10am-2pm
Join TFM on Sunday, November 19th at Mueller for our first ever Farmers’ Market Mystery Box Throwdown! Local chefs Philip Speer of Comedor and Colter Peck of Elementary will face off, cooking show style, to prepare dishes using a mystery box of ingredients from market vendors. Shoppers and vendors will have the opportunity to sample their creations, and cast their votes for which dish they like best. The event will be emceed by Field Guide Festival, an annual event that brings together local farmers, chefs, and community around our local food system.
Philip Speer Bio
Philip Speer is a four-time James Beard Foundation Award nominee, and chef and owner of Comedor, a Mexican restaurant in downtown Austin. Speer is a change advocate in the culinary sphere, creating resources and support for peers and employees to engage in healthier habits. Philip heads the Austin chapter of Ben’s Friends, a weekly meeting intended to form a coalition of sober Food and Beverage professionals, and in 2019, founded the Comedor Run Club with a mission to “shift the post-shift culture.” Through these active engagements, the importance of a healthy lifestyle is becoming a long-awaited part of the conversation in restaurant culture.
Colter Peck Bio
Colter Peck started his culinary career in Portland, working in renowned kitchens like Le Pigeon and Proud Mary, and later on, working on a farm in Boulder before moving to Austin to cook at Two Hands. There, he met future business partners Chris Arial and Allan Bautista. The trio opened South Lamar eatery Elementary, named for its childlike curiosity and constant education, earlier this summer. At Elementary, Peck serves playful and flavorful dishes inspired by global cuisines with an emphasis on Central Texas farmers and seasonality.
Field Guide Festival
Returning to East Austin for its third year on Saturday April 20, 2024, Field Guide is rooted in connecting our community with the local food system in Central Texas. Founded by Trisha Bates (Urban American Farmer), the festival presents the vast knowledge of our local network of chefs, farmers, foragers, beekeepers, ranchers, mycologists, mixologists, and artists. Each participant showcases their talents and products during a delicious and educational day of food, beverages, and symposium conversations.
About Texas Farmers’ Market
Texas Farmers’ Market operates two year-round, rain-or-shine markets in the Austin area – Lakeline in Cedar Park/North Austin area on Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at 11200 Lakeline Mall Drive, and the Mueller market at the Pavilion at Mueller’s Mary Elizabeth Branch Park at 2006 Philomena Street on Sundays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. TFM is organized under F2M Texas as a 501(c)4 non-profit corporation centered around hosting and educating Central Texas producers and consumers to grow a sustainable food system. For more information visit https://texasfarmersmarket.org/.
SNAP & WIC Accepted
Texas Farmers’ Market operates a healthy food access program at both markets in partnership with the Sustainable Food Center. Shoppers can double their SNAP benefits up to $30 to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables every market day with Double Up Food Bucks Austin. WIC accepted during the months of April-October. For more information, go to: https://texasfarmersmarket.org/food-access-programs/.
Social Channels:
Instagram: @texasfarmersmarket
Facebook: @TFMMueller
Facebook: @TFMLakeline
