Ava getting her hands on some local, organic produce.
I stopped going to farmer’s markets for many years because I was always disappointed by the lack of . . . well . . . farmers. But recently I’ve noticed local produce popping up at the various markets around town from time to time. While this is exciting to see, most of the farms I’ve come across have only sold one or two items. I found one selling tomatoes and another selling sprouts – both wonderful to pick up but nothing that gets my grocery shopping done.
So you can imagine how excited I was to finally find a local farmer with a 10′ x30′ tent full of produce. And not only produce, but organic produce! Meet E.T.’s Homegrown Produce from Grant, FL, one of the newest vendors at the Victoria Park farmer’s market. So far, I’ve found both their produce (quality and selection) and their prices to be excellent. The couple that owns the farm are incredibly nice, and they always indulge my son’s passion for gardening and my daughter’s love of baby eggplant and yellow squash.
In case you’re not familiar with Victoria Park, it’s a community in DeLand less than a mile off I-4 (exit 116) and its market is open every Sunday from 7AM to 1PM. The 20-minute drive from my home is well worth the effort to be able to load up on local, organic produce each week. And while the rest of the market is still pretty small, there are several other vendors worth mentioning:
- Artisan Breads, selling a wide variety of partially-baked vegan breads, dinner rolls, bagels and more.
- Nature’s Select all-natural pet food and pet care products.
- Green Goods, a vendor selling organic, local plant starts (in homemade pots made from newspaper), gardening supplies and garden design services.
I’ve also seen a vendor selling all-natural pound cakes and another with a large bulk selection of raw nuts, dried fruit and other snacks there on occasion.
I’m so happy to have finally found local, organic farmers! Be sure to pay them a visit so they keep coming back!
Mrs. Zeiger
Melita Franzen
Cat
