Austin's Historic Farmers' Market

Owner: Hill Rylander
About the owner: Rylander was born in Austin Texas when it was still Waterloo. He is sixth generation Texan. Great great great gramps was the Adjutant General of the Republic of Texas. UT Ex student.

Products and Services: Austin's Historic Farmers' Market provides local and Texas growers to sell their goods directly to the consumers. The Market is open year round. The selection of fruits, vegetables, and plants is seasonal, of course. There are also several restaurants that call the Market home. The Market is also available as a venue for outdoor festivals and parties.

History: The modern farmers' market era in Austin began in 1988 when Texas grocery-store chain scion C. Hill Rylander secured a multi year lease on the abandoned Travis County wagon yard property at 6701 Burnet Rd. After some refurbishment, Rylander christened the facility the Austin-Travis County Farmers' Market. On the face of it, the wagon yard is a dream-come-true market location: plenty of off-street parking, covered sheds for stalls, public restrooms, access to water and electricity, several existing buildings for restaurants and shops, a high-traffic area. The market flourished in its early years, charging a $10 stall fee to more than 50 farmers a year. It was the original home of The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Contest and was twice recognized as one of the 10 best markets in America, once by USA Today and again by Cooking Light magazine. However, a couple of bad drought seasons exacerbated the damage done a drawn-out lawsuit between the Republican Rylander and the Democratic County Commissioners Court, spelling an end to the market's heyday. Once the lengthy lawsuit was settled in Rylander's favor, the market became known as Austin's Historic Farmers' Market and now hosts an annual chile-roasting festival in late summer and a giant pumpkin sale every fall. In October, 2005, The Market was host to the First Annual Texas Barbeque Festival. Thousands came to sample the state's best BBQ and listen to live music. The facility is currently home to the Brentwood Tavern, Hill Country Nursery & Landscaping, Dog Almighty restaurant, La Femme Culinaire commercial catering kitchen and numerous seasonal farmers. Rylander is enthusiastic about the future, reporting that he has several farmers signed up for the first weekend in May plus some new arts-and-crafts vendors to entice customers to the Burnet Road market. "We're here to stay," he told me this week, "and we'd like folks who haven't been out here in a while to come check us out again."

Locations: 6701 Burnet Rd... between Anderson Lane and 2222