The Florida Foodie
Tis the Season for Green Markets!
By Saucy Sarah
South Florida has left behind the sweltering summer and is now transitioning to the most delightful time of the year in this Sub-Tropical realm: winter. The “season” also brings the return of the green markets to our county. Be it a green market, a farmer’s market, or an open-air market, there is a quaint charm to these eclectic gatherings of tents that house a variety of foodie delights. I have always been a sucker for a good Saturday morning stroll through the lanes, peering into the various stalls, stopping to smell the fresh produce, sample local honey, buy a waffle—hot off the iron—with berries from Plant City.
These mostly outdoor gatherings of local vendors, artisans, and craftsmen, are an important component of our community and the Slow Food Movement started by Alice Waters in Berkeley, CA. The slow food movement emphasizes community; locally-sourced food products produced by the people of the community. A green market becomes the medium through which locals can sell their wares and, in return, support the local economy. This is community building at its most delicious.
With the holiday season upon us, I am championing you to focus your holiday dollars on small, local, business in the spirit of supporting your community. Small Business Saturday, the Saturday after “Black Friday” was created to highlight local, independently-owned businesses in order to strengthen the non-chain and non-franchised shops in the community. There is no better way to show your support than to patron a green market during our “season” when the markets are at their peak. Buy locally grown produce, give locally crafted gifts.
Palm Beach County Green Markets
Markets open on Saturdays:
* Abacoa GreenMarket
Hours of Operation: 8:00am to 1:00pm
Villages of Abacoa Amphitheater
Abacoa
561.756.3600 ~ http://www.abacoa.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.details&content_id=45522
* Boca Raton GreenMarket
Hours of Operation: 8:00am to 1:00pm
RoyalPalmPlaceShopping Center
South Federal Hwy & SE Mizner Blvd
Boca Raton
561.299.8684 ~ http://www.localharvest.org/boca-raton-green-market-M1173
* Delray Beach GreenMarket
Hours of Operation: 9:00am to 2:00pm
Old School Square
NE 2nd Avenue, ½ block north of Atlantic
Downtown Delray Beach
561.276.7511~ http://delraycra.org/greenmarket/
* Lake Worth Farmers Market
Hours of Operation: 9:00am –
SE corner of State Road A-1-A & Lake Avenue
Lake Worth
561.547.3100 ~ www.lakeworthfarmersmarket.com
* Wellington Green Market At the Amphitheater
Hours of Operation: Saturdays 8:00am – 1:00pm
12100 Forest Hill Boulevard, Wellington, FL
(561) 283-5856 ~ www.wellingtongreenmarket.com
* West Palm Beach GreenMarket
Hours of Operation: 9:00am to 1:00pm
Water Front Commons
West Palm Beach
561.822.1515 ~ http://wpb.org/greenmarket/
Markets open on Sundays:
* Taste of the Gardens GreenMarket
Hours of Operation: 8:00am to 1:00pm.
Palm Beach Gardens Park
4301 Burns Road
561.630.1107 ~ http://www.pbgfl.com/greenmarket
* Royal Palm Beach GreenMarket and Bazaar
Hours of Operation: 9:00am to 1:00pm
11600 Poinciana Boulevard
Royal Palm Beach
561.792.9260 ~ http://www.royalpalmbeach.com/
Daily Markets:
* Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market
Hours of Operation: Mon-Sat/9:00am to 6:00pm & Sun/ 10:00am to 5:00pm.
12033 State Road 7
Boynton Beach
561.499.3994 ~ http://www.bedners.com/
* Rorabeck’s Plants and Produce
Hours of Operation: Mon-Sun./7:00am to 7:00pm
5539 S Military Trail
Lake Worth, FL 33463
(561)642-3382 ~ https://www.rorabecks.com/
CSA (Community Supported Agriculture):
* Solace Farm
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a way to directly connect farmers to consumers. Customers buy monthly “shares” of the harvest and reap the benefits of getting fresh produce directly from the farm to their kitchen.
Customers can pick up a box of fresh veggies & fruits or, depending on their location, have the box delivered every Friday.
7765 Lyons Rd.
Lake Worth, FL
(561) 229-6885 ~ Solace International
Solace Organic Farms, Home of the Fancy Chicken
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In her previous life, Sarah, a Palm Beach County Native, spent ten years working in various high-end eating establishments around South Florida. She is currently a fiction thesis candidate in the MFA program at Florida International University where she also teaches creative writing and rhetoric. If that is not enough, Sarah is also the owner of Cakes by Sarah, a local custom cake shop. Sarah lives in Lake Worth with her husband and two beautiful boys. “Food, fiction, and family are my life.”