Ardovino’s Desert Crossing Farmer’s Market

Hmm don’t know if the other reviews are from vendors or friends or family. I mean I knew going in that this place was small but I think I passed up a few garage sales bigger than this. I drove all the way from the east side to this because of the good reviews. Neadless to say I was very disappointed. Most farmers markets have at least a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. This place has one or two vendors with about 3 kinds of vegetables each.
There was a vendor selling loaves of bread giving free samples. So I tried the pumpkin loaf and it was really dry. I felt bad for taking the sample and not buying anything so I figured I’d buy a zucchini loaf. Tried that later on and it was dry and over done too. From another vendor I also picked up some crushed peppers which the lady said were hot and they weren’t and also a bag of pecans which we’ve cracked open about ¹⁄₃ of them and most are dry not very good tasting.
It’s really too bad because I love farmers markets but they really need a lot more quantity and a lot better quality.

For an El Paso Farmer’s Market, Ardovino’s is pretty much top of the line. And I say that with the hopes that this Farmer’s Market along with the Downtown Farmer’s Market will continue to grow until there are so many participants and customers that there will be a waiting lists for vendors.
It’s hard to say which market I like more, but really I think there on about the same level now so which market I go to just comes down to one question, «Is it Saturday or Sunday?» Ardovino’s Desert Crossing Farmer’s Market (henceforth known as ADC) is only open on Saturdays in the morning and an hour or so into the afternoon. The hours change a little bit once a year… it seems to be centered around «best weather» hours.
If you haven’t guessed it, this is a small Farmer’s Market… like really small… like 15 – 20 vendors small. But the good news is every vendors is a little different. You can find everything from soaps and chapsticks to breads and meats to canned goods like salsas, pickled veggies, and jellies. And yes, there are a few vendors that offer handmade items like jewelry and recycled Krispy Kreme book covers. Our trip to ADC this past weekend we picked up wildflower honey, bread & butter pickles, Indian Fig Prickly Pear jelly, and black strawberry Kombucha soda.
I always leave the ADC feeling a little more educated because every vendor wants you to sample their products and also give you a little history of their company and their product. I don’t want to dwell on this past weeks vendors too much because there’s no guarantee that they’ll be at the next market, but I’ll indulge you just a little. The honey vendor quite possibly taught me the most because I had never thought about the fact that all honey doesn’t taste the same. This husband-​wife team had at least 10 different honeys and explained that the place the bee hives near a certain type of plant or flower to control what they were pollinating and creating the honey with. Genius! As we tried each honey, it amazed me that each one (and they were all raw, unpasteurized!) had a very distinct taste. I landed on the wildflower honey because it had the smoothest flavor and, what I thought, was the least prominent taste… although I love the others like the sunflower honey, I use honey it a lot of different things like teas and barbeque sauces, but if I wanted a very distinct flavor I would go to these guys too. The family that was selling the Kombucha soda turned out to only be in their second week, but changed my perception of soda… there can be such a thing as healthy soda. What I leaned after tasting the soda was that it is a fermented tea and a natural way to clean out your body. The flavor is different than a normal soda, but it actually taste fresh.
And the three things that I like most about this market:
1. They’re very dog friendly!
2. They have demos and classes outside occasionally.
And 3. You can grab some brunch during your excusion at Ardovino’s.

Enjoyed coming out to this very cute farmers market. A lot of food to sample. I enjoy the apple butter and salsa. There’s also local art and decoration for sale. Do not attempt to park inside the market because it’s very tight and small to maneuver through.