So, we’ve been to scope out the Farmer’s Markets around the area. Let me show you what we found right down the street. Seriously, we can ride our bicycles.
For such a small town, St. Marys really surprised me. At the St. Marys, Georgia Farmer’s Market, not only did we find much better prices than in Norfolk, Virginia, but a great selection, and much of it grown organically!
Saturday from 9 until 1:00 p.m. The Garden of Eatin’ and Sullivan’s Produce and More sell fruits, vegetables, jams, jellies, cold drinks, and free-range brown eggs from their stalls. Honest Dan sells pure, raw local honey from his bee farm right here in town. Simply Home Grown sells native plants. After all, why pay nursery and store prices when you’ve got a grower right here in town from Irises to spider plants? His selection is great! Karen’s Kakes is a real treat to the taste buds. Her table is abundant with freshly made breads, cakes, cookies, and Vidalia onion pies. She even makes sugar-free! Karen also sells eggs! Sugar Mama and Chunky sell sweet potato pies, pecan pies, and all sorts of Southern sugar-laden treats as well as fresh ice-cold lemonade. Bags, hand-beaded jewelry, greeting cards, specialty cupcakes, and hot food from Sue’s Thai Egg Rolls are sold fresh and made to order. Sue stands in the back rolling and frying them just for you as you shop at the neighboring stalls. It’s like going to the State Fair every week!
Treasured finds!
We politely decline the plastic bags and leave with our canvas bags full of ripe, red tomatoes, dark green zucchini, acorn squash, corn, sweet potatoes and even a watermelon! Plenty for the week, and then some! Nothing’s packaged or shipped from overseas. There is no plastic or styrofoam (except for the Crowder peas, but I’ll reuse that bag again.) It’s all grown right here in our city’s back yard.
Do you have a local farmer’s market in your town? What have you brought home?
Attempting zero waste lifestyle in a military household 
These are the best fruits and vegetables I’ve ever had in my life!! The mango we had literally squirted out juice when we cut into it. The watermelon was also very juicy. We loved it so much we quartered it and ate it in two sittings! And the baked goods. I’m having trouble limiting myself to one piece of pumpkin bread and the slice of sweet potato pie we bought yesterday didn’t last more than 30 seconds once we got in the door!! Fresh food is definitely the way to go!!
P.S. I just got another piece of pumpkin bread!!
We are eating well, aren’t we baby! 🙂
In the village before ours called Draganovo there are a number of people selling fruit, vegetables and plants just outside their houses. No shops just a small table with dubious weighing scales. Here the standard of your purchase is way above that of any supermarket. This produce is all grown in their own gardens and the money made is to keep them over the winter months. It is the only village I have seen that does this. It starts in July and finishes end of October…
MIsswhiplash, that is so interesting! What do they sell? Or should I ask, what do you usually buy? (I see your computer is allowing you to make comments again! Yippie!)
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hi jennifer……Do they sell mangoes? gosh I missed that fruit. Same in your place, we had one here, but usually the farmers market here were mixed with stuff like you can find on the malls. We called it as the flea market, were you can buy seconds and rare things that you cant find easily where else………and they were very cheap!!
Fruits, veggies, and rare finds. Sounds like a nice deal!
Hi Jennifer! We are so pleased with the community’s enthusiatic response to our Garden fo Eatin’ and glad to be able to offer all our neighbors a chance to eat well and buy local! We have now expanded to another location ,Farmers Market- Garden of Eatin’ located on Spur 40 nd Second St. and will be open there Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sat. 1:30 to 5 p.m. A big thanks to all our patrons!
Fantastic! Now I don’t have to wait until Saturday anymore!
This is so awesome! I’m glad you are enjoying St. Mary’s!
Girl, we dug in and scouted out. We found two great markets. One here in St. Marys and one in Fernidina. I couldn’t be more thrilled. The prices are so much better than Norfolk and the food is fresh and yummy. We’re buying local and supporting small businesses. I love it here!
So glad to hear about local produce. It is so very important to support your local community regardless to where you are. Thanks so much for sharing with us this gem of a find. It just reinforces what we all need to be saying so that we can drive down prices controlling lower costs, get fresher food with less travel time creating a more nutritious product and lower the precious fossil fuel use with the horrendous fuel costs and travel time it takes to cart the produce around when you aren’t buying local. Keep the money in your town and we can all have better stronger communities. You are such a fine example Jennifer of how its done. We are so proud of you! Keep it up.
Everything you said makes perfect sense. And I appreciate the encouragement. I have fine mentors and examples. (Like YOU!)