It was a grove kind of morning...

So, this is my first post back from Spain. Word of advice - NEVER fly back into the country and then go to work the next day. Not a good feeling. But anyway. So yesterday we get up and it's just a relaxed kind of morning when El Hombre turns to me and says, "are you interested in checking out the grove farmer's market?" Of course I did! So off we went.

We have always seen the Coconut Grove Farmer's Market off the side of the Grand, but never stopped for some reason. This has been a mistake. The market is an open-air market on Grand Ave, open Saturdays from 11-7 p.m. and it's an all-organic farmers market. And it's wonderful. I unfortunately don't have pictures to share, because I haven't taken off my Spain pics from the camera, but suffice to say, this market has everything from spices to fruit pie. I was enthralled to find multiple types of squash (I really need to make a batch of butternut squash soup soon), alongside beautiful tomatoes, eggplant and greens. Wandering around the fruits, I found all the regulars, along with figs (which intrigue me because I have never attempted to make anything from them) and then dried fruits, including Goji Berries (interesting.)

Wandering away from the produce, we browsed among the venders, selling juices, plants, clothes, hot foods and more.

We ended up grabbing a fruit salad, which included papaya, mango, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries and kiwi and a strawberry lemonade for breakfast, and then each had organic vegan ice cream. El Hombre stuck with chocolate mousse, and I mixed my chocolate with pistachio.

Overall, it's a well-visited, well-established farmer's market with great selection and I highly recommend checking it out.

Robert is Here

Ever since I discovered the Homestead Farmer's Market I have wanted to go a little further south to hit up Robert is Here. I had been hearing about this fruit stand for a bit, and then when a few other local bloggers hit up the area, I decided to do the same.

Robert is Here is a fruit stand located down in the Redlands and it's been around since 1959. If you go now, it's much more than a fruit stand. They have canned jams, honeys and sauces, much like a shop you would find in the Carolinas, and in the back they have several types of animals.

When you arrive on the weekend, like we did, you will see vintage tractors and cars:



and depending on the time, you may be greeted by live music. As you walk into the stand, you are hit with the scent of fresh citrus fruits, slightly sticky and sweet, yet refreshing at the same time. As you walk further in, you discover a medley of local veggies and crafts:




They also are known for their shakes. If you are there on a weekend, it's best to order your shake, and then wander outside to see the animals:



(cutest things ever!)






You can also scope out the fields, in case you had doubts that their produce is locally grown:



All in all, it was a fun experience. Much better than fighting traffic to the boat show or the Coconut Grove Arts Fest. It's especially fun if you have kids, because they get a kick out of the animals and the shakes. We ordered our (extremely tasty) Key Lime shake, and while we waited, we devoured a mango from Peru. Because on a warm 80 degree day there's nothing better than sweet fresh mangos and shakes. mmmmm

Exploring South Miami-Dade County (Part two)

As mentioned in the previous post, our adventures down south also took us to the Homestead Farmers Market, off US1 and 244 St. You see the bargain market from the road and thats essentially where you turn. The farmers market is an open air market comprised of fruits, veggies, dried spices, fresh fish and plants. This is hands-down the best market I have been to. It's huge and insanely cheap. In addition, the people there were all very nice.



There are several plant venders, including the one below, which had a surprising name for Miami-Dade County:

More power to them, I guess. I would imagine that name doesn't get a good amount of business from the Cuban population, but what do I know?

But enough of that, here's the good stuff:













And this last picture is for Maria, over at Volunteering at Fairchild:


Seriously, I wanted to buy everything. We walk away with Mandarin Oranges, mangos, 1/2 pound of green beans, an onion and avocados and we paid maybe $5 for that.

Upper East Side Farmers Markets, part II

I told you guys I took a ton of photos, right? Here's part two of our farmers market adventures. This is another market in MiMo, seven blocks south of the Vagabond Market, in Legion Park.

I actually liked this market better, even though it was smaller. You can easily walk between the two, but maybe because all the booths are together and outside, it makes it more relaxing.

The park itself is beautiful. You have to walk up through the park, which has alot of oaks with Spanish moss hanging, something that makes me nostalgic for Charleston, SC. There were a bunch of dogs chasing squirrels and having a blast.


The booths overlook the street, and have many of the same kind of vendors. The first vendor was selling ceviche and it was AMAZING. Pineapple and MahiMahi. We bought half a pound and ate it all in the same day.


This was mediterranean food, which also looked fantastic.




You can't have an outdoor market in Miami without orchids.




You also can't have an outdoor market in Miami without organic soaps.

My suggestion? Go check out both markets. Buy some awesome veggies and some ready-made food, and walk down through the park to here and have a picnic. Oh yeah, and take your dog if you have one.

Upper East Side Farmer's Market

So, as referenced in a previous entry, farmer's markets are popping up all over South Florida. In the MiMo area there are two, one in the old Vagabond Hotel, and one seven blocks south in Lummus Park. We went Saturday afternoon to see what they are all about. I like the Mimo area because there are some interesting little shops and restaurants, and so far it seems most of them are locally-owned (except for Starbucks.)

We stopped at the Vagabond Market first. There were many fruit, craft and food venders set up.



While these juices were expensive - $5 per cup, they were made fresh in front of us, with no added sugar. El Hombre got a watermelon juice and it was actually pretty good. Normally I don't like watermelon juice because people pour extra sugar.


We ended up getting a sample of one of these cakes, yummalicious but very rich.


I wish I had been hungry, because I LOVE Indian food and this looked incredibly fresh and smelled fantastic. This was Raja's Indian food.







Mishi's cupcakes. I first had these a few weeks ago at Iron Fork. I still like Buttercream better.