Today we’d like to introduce you to Karina Mackow
Hi Karina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When I moved to Texas 8 years ago, it was to help my sister and brother-in-law on their growing regenerative farm in the beautiful hill country surrounding Austin. They were raising livestock in a new (old) way, rotating them rapidly in the style of Dan Brown, Joel Salatin, Alan Savory and several other progressive ranchers revitalizing pasture and relearning how to capture carbon in grassland using ruminant animals. We were passionate about being able to raise clean, nutritious meat while regenerating top soil, biodiversity, and the water carrying capacity of the land.
My family did not come from an agricultural background, but learned quickly on what we jokingly called the Youtube University crash course. Heritage hogs, chickens for meat and eggs, bees, farm-to-table partnerships with restaurants – it soon came time to expand to farmers market. We thought, why take all this nutrient-dense protein we were raising out of our community to city markets when Spicewood itself didn’t even have a grocery store for fresh food? That’s when we started Pedernales Farmers Market and really building direct-to-consumer access in our own area. The hill country is so rich with hardworking ranchers treating the land and their animals the way you would dream for your meat to be raised; there’s also an incredible richness of independent producers, cottage industry and artisans to draw on. Fast forward 7 years and after the Covid craze exploding interest in sourdough, home cooking, real food – and we were off.
As of Spring of 2025, we have over 50 vendors with live music, kids areas, tons of shaded picnic table seating and food and drink: it’s a Sunday destination for families seeking to take control of their health with fresh farm food they can trust.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We are blessed to be hosted by an incredible local couple for our location, Taylor & Casie Hall. They welcomed us to start the market on their restaurant property in open grassy fields under oak trees, sharing their parking lot and facilities in order to support a more vibrant small town life here in Spicewood. Our town is unincorporated and doesn’t have a Main Street so the farmers market has truly become a gathering place for everyone to spend time connecting outdoors while shopping for the health foods you just can’t find in a store.
For an Austin audience, we are just 45 minutes west of the city and make for a great day trip any Sunday. You’ll want to come hungry and thirsty and bring your cooler – there is Pace Bend Park just down the road for hiking, water sports, Lake Travis beachside, cliff jumping, mountain biking etc. Awesome place to pack a market-sourced picnic and get into nature. Spicewood is also home to Krause Springs, a deep spring-fed watering hole with campsites, bbq pits, and a fabulous native botanical garden for plant and butterfly viewing. They also maintain a cool, natural swimming pool and volleyball court!
As you know, we’re big fans of Pedernales Farmers Market. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I own & run the Pedernales Farmers Market in Spicewood as a private business, working on direct-to-consumer access to fresh whole foods and supporting our incredible area farmers. We have everything you’d want to find at a true farmer’s market: organic veggies, seasonal Fredericksburg fruit, sourdough breads, raw local honey, raw milk, fresh eggs and every type of pasture-raised, grass fed meat. French pastries, tasty and healthful prepared foods, jams, pickles — you name it.
What sets us apart is our beautiful location. Unlike many city markets, we are not cramped in a hot paved parking lot. We are in the hill country on grass under oak trees, with lots of shady picnic tables and room for dogs and kids to play. There’s a big live band every weekend for folks to enjoy lingering over a meal and visiting with each other.
Sundays year-round rain or shine
10am-2pm
50+ food & sustainability focused vendors
Producer-only artisans
Live music
Kids areas
Dog-friendly
What does success mean to you?
Success is doing what you love and calling it “work” – I encourage everyone to invest in their health by getting to their local farmers markets and nourishing their happiness with vibrant farm-fresh foods. It’s powerful to forge a tangible understanding of what it takes to grow an organic head of lettuce, raise a pork chop, bake nutritious fermented breads. When you start down the path of eating seasonally, your body responds to that deeper level of nourishment and it starts to revitalize mood, mental outlook, many unexpected aspects of health.
Pricing:
- $0-5
- $5-$20
- $20-$40
- $40+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://laketravis.com/lake-travis/pedernales-farmers-market/
- Instagram: @pedernalesfarmersmarket
- Facebook: @pedernalesfarmersmarket
Image Credits
all my own photos, Karina Mackow
