Gay, from
A Scientist in the Kitchen invited me to participate in another fabulous food blogging event – this one devoted entirely to local food markets.

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As you all know, I am a recently converted member of the I Love The Farmers Market Club.
No, it is not a real club, but it really should be. I have been writing lots of posts based on our Farmers Market finds. There is just nothing better than being able to support local farmers, growers and producers of food products - from veggies to bread, cheese, nuts and grains - these markets help you to support your local community in the most important of ways - SUSTAINABILITY, which should be on all our long term goal lists.

When I first started this blog, I was always a bit jealous of those food bloggers who had easy access to Farmers Markets, CSAs and the like, because I really believe that the best food is food made simple with the freshest ingredients available. So when Roberto and I moved to Saint Augustine, Florida, a wonderful town with a great weekly Farmers Market, I was thrilled. Since we moved here, it has become one of our most loved food shopping rituals. We go to the market, check out all the stalls and then go through again to purchase those things we have decided on.

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Some of our favorite vendors are the bread lady, who makes wonderful breads, foccacias sweet treats and savory pockets, the citrus growers who have had some of the best Meyer lemons I have ever tasted in my life and all the many vegetable stalls. However, that is not all the Saint Augustine market has to offer – there are lots of local artisans selling their wares as well as little food stops where you can get a snack to go – or enjoy it in their little outdoor cafe. Last week we stopped and had delicious black bean and sweet potato burritos.

One of our favorite veggies to get is Swiss Chard – because we love making my Pap Pap’s Swiss Chard & Potatoes recipe.

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When we get home from the market – before doing anything else, I always wash and prepare the goods we got, so they are ready to use whenever we want to cook them. It does take a little time and effort, especially when we want to get to the beach, but it makes up for it later – because when I get to the kitchen for cooking I want to be able to start right away – not spend a long time washing and prepping my veggies.

If you have a local market, you have got to check it out and make it a part of your regular routine – it may be a little more work and effort – but it is worth it – the quality is unbeatable, the flavors amazing and the prices very fair!
Support Locally Grown!!!