Today the Food Activists Revolutionizing Meals (FARM) at USF held their 1st Farmer’s Market of Fall 2014. The Foodies Club helped promote the market because it supports the mission of growing the local food movement at USF Tampa. Local vendors came out and setup their stands along Sessum’s Mall (between Cooper Hall and the Rec Center by Pollo Tropical). The message was fresh and organic.
We were excited to shop around and check out the vendors for the first market. The FARM Club was selling pumpkins from Bearss Grove for $3 and we couldn’t resist picking one up for some Halloween decorations.
One of the first booths we visited was Lutz Nutz Company which has been in business for over a decade and provided tasty nuts for people to eat. We sampled the Bodacious Blend, a mixture of cashews, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, shallots, garlic, and spices. It was great! We really liked how Lutz Nutz packages their nuts as well making them perfect for grabbing a gift for a friend or family member. The prices were also very reasonable compared to how much nuts cost at grocery stores.
After Lutz Nutz, we made our way over to Grandma Grace’s Goodies. This vendor sells various jams, jellies, and salsas and has won awards at both the Florida State Fair and the Annual Strawberry Festival in Plant City.
There was a wide variety of jams and jellies to choose from, but we leaned towards the Habanero Pepper Jam which is one of Grandma Grace’s award winners. Picturing the jam with cream cheese and crackers or a bagel was too tempting to pass up. The prices were very fair with a small jar at $4.00 and a large jar at $6.00. You can also receive $0.25 back if you return your jar after use. Pretty neat.
A great eye-catch was these bees at the My Sweet Bees vendor booth. Raw local honey is always awesome to grab for things like fruit and cheese platters (don’t forget nuts as well). The local owner was very kind and allowed us to sample some honey while also showcasing some lotions and skin products that are used with the same local honey.
We wandered over to Two Seeds in Pod afterward which sells organic heirloom seeds and produce. Free range happy hens were also on-sale.
Overall, we had a really good time at the 1st USF Farmer’s Market of Fall 2014 and are looking forward to the next ones. The next dates will be 10/21, 11/4, and 11/18 so mark your calendars!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
USF Foodies Club 