Las Vegas Weekly

April 27, 2009 · 12:04 PM

A farmers market grows on Fremont: Vegas eats local at summer markets

By Sarah Feldberg, Xania Woodman

Priscilla Van Dyke of Las Vegas drives four hours to Blythe, Calif. each week to retrieve fresh producer from her farm to sell at four Las Vegas farmer's markets; UNLV students help with the selling. I purchased a pint of "VIP Tomatoes" for $4 and a cucumber for $1 to make a nice Mediterranean salad. Said Pricilla, Blythe is "100 miles from anywhere, 150 miles to somewhere."

Photo: Xania Woodman

On Friday, April 24, East Fremont—most famous for its bars and nighttime foot traffic—got a family-friendly, earth-friendly makeover.

The Las Vegas Farmer’s Market kicked off its 2009 season with a soft opening this past week at the corner of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard. The weekly market sets up shop hocking everything from “VIP Tomatoes” to organic cotton candy every Friday from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. Sticking to the slogan “Make it, bake it, sew it or grow it,” you won’t find any yard-long margaritas here. What you will find are homemade crafts, homegrown veggies and handcrafted pastries, fresh from the field or kitchen.

After the market’s grand opening on May 1, it will continue making downtown a greener through the hot months of summer until October 30.

The East Fremont farmers market isn’t the only place to pick up green leafy goodness, however. On May 14, home cooks can shop like the don of Italian cooking, Mario Batali, at the Molto Vegas farmers market located at 7485 Dean Martin Drive Suite #106.

For the past two years, Batali and business partner/winemaker Joseph Bastianich have worked with professional forager Kerry Clasby to supply local restaurants with top-notch produce from nearby farms. At the Molto Vegas market, Clasby brings her eye for the natural and delicious to the Las Vegas public, with everything from baby maroon carrots to Medjool dates liable to show up on the table.

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