By Ellen Kanner
Red, ripe strawberries in January are no miracle -- they’re real and seasonal in South Florida. Now when the rest of the country shivers, local farmers are harvesting and farmers markets are in full bloom beneath sunny skies.
With close to two dozen farmers markets in the area, there’s one to serve every location and need, including a few on college campuses (college kids really do eat more than pizza). South Florida farmers markets boast locally grown veggie faves from arugula to zucchini, but also offer produce native only to South Florida and the Caribbean, like carambola or starfruit, Jamaican sorrel and callaloo, and yuca, a starchy tuber integral to Cuban cuisine.
The markets also have local artisanal breads and baked goods, local, organic honey and cheeses, native plants, homemade jams and chutneys bursting with locally-grown tropical fruits and South Florida’s succulent, seasonal stone crabs. The ready-to-eat food is world class and cutting edge, with Miami chefs including James Beard Award-winner Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink manning food carts and dishing up casual cuisine -- buttered popcorn ice cream, anyone?
This embarrassment of local riches does global good. Everyone’s embracing locally-produced food because the closer you are to where your food comes from, the less carbon output it requires. And there’s another bonus -- food grown or made fresh right where you live has a vibrancy you can taste.
Farmers markets nourish you even before you bite into that first luscious strawberry. There’s social interaction you don’t get at the supermarket -- gardening and cooking demonstrations, a parade of young parents with babies in strollers, pet owners walking their dogs. There’s a feeling of celebration, community, a chance to mingle with your neighbors and to meet new people, too, including the farmers who grow those sweet strawberries.
Farmers Markets in Dade and Broward Counties:
Aventura Mall Market
Barry University Green Market
Broward Riverwalk Green Market
Coconut Grove Farmers Market
Coral Gables Farmers Market
Doral Farmers Market
Florida International University Farmers Market
Homestead Farmers Market
Jackson Memorial Foundation Farmers Market
Las Olas Outdoor Gourmet Market
Lincoln Road Farmers Market
Marando Farms
Mary Brickell Sunday Market
Memorial Regional Green Market
Normandy Village Market Place
Pinecrest Gardens Green Market
Parkland Farmers Market
Pompano Beach Green Market
Roots in the City Urban Farmers Market
South Miami Farmers Market
Upper East Side Farmers Market
University of Miami Green Market
Yellow Green Farmers Market of Hollywood
To find out farmers market locations and times of operation, check out Florida Agriculture.
In fact, there’s over 6,000 farmers markets across the country, so wherever you live, there’s a farmers market near you. Find out more at Local Harvest.
