Monday, August 4, 2008

The Farmer's Market & The Jones Eastside Eatery



On Saturday mornings, between 8:30am and 1:00pm, we have our local farmer's market. Everything brought to market was raised within 50 miles of its location. My daughter and I bring our re-usable cloth grocery bags, and wagons are provided.

It's a great, affordable way to get fresh, in-season fruits and veggies. The other items offers are soaps, honey, wax candles, fresh baked goods, herbs and plants. This link here also gives you a handy chart to let you know what sold each season, as well as year-round.



Farmer's markets are a great way to go green and save on your food bill. Since we're mostly vegetarian in our household, fresh veggies are important - and yet they can also get expensive. Eating in season keeps us healty, creative and in tune with the Earth.

Besides, it's a lot of fun to see what's brought to market each week and to get to know the people who are directly involved with growing/making the things we eat.

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My boyfriend is here with us for an extended stay and this weekend we checked out
The Jones Eastside Eatery on a dear friend's recommendation.

Not only was it vegetarian and organic, but all the tempeh, tofu and other ingredients are local! Wow, what a great place. We didn't have to wait long for service or food.

My SO and I had the black bean burrito, with avocado and sour cream. They were fantastic. If you're in and around the Gainesville area, I highly recommend a visit to The Jones Eastside Eatery.

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Next, I want to try Sweetwater Organic Coffee Company. I bet I can get my love to go, as he's a certified coffee gourmandise like me!

8 comments:

purpledogstar said...

Bring on the Sweetwater Organic Coffee!

Unknown said...

I know, it sounds good, right? :)

Sean said...

I love farmer's markets! A great week of doing shopping, supporting local people. Fresh air shopping is so relaxing I find after the usual malls and such...

Unknown said...

Hi Sean,

Me too! Now that we're eating fresher, it's hard to look at fast food or pre-packaged food in quite the same way.

Of course, watching Supersize Me and Fast Food Nation didn't hurt matters either.

I also love the fresh air; and it's so cool to see the baskets of fruits and vegs. Next time, I'll snap some pics of those. I wasn't sure if I should, but the vendors don't mind. It's free publicity for their produce! :)

jennifer19334 said...

Hi. I found your blog from google, and thanks for doing it. I live near Gainesville and would like to start living more green.

This is a good resource. Keep up the good work!

Unknown said...

Hi Jennifer,

Welcome aboard! The more the merrier! :)

Seth Pollins said...

I love going to the farmer's market. I seek farmer's markets in every new city, every new town I visit. My favorite all-time, so far, is the Santa Monica Farmer's Market--the largest organic market in the world. But I also love the local markets here in the Philly area.

Unknown said...

Hi Seth,

And welcome! I did see your potato blog, and as a spud-lover I've been meaning to get over there. I definitely will!

Oh, I love the farmer's market. It has forever jaded me from the grocery store and even now I check where the produce in the grocery is from if I end up there for some reason. It's that kind of snobbery that will keep our local farmers in business, I hope!

Have you read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? I just finished it, and I found it awesomely inspiring. I'm already wanting to expand my garden for next year!