I know I say it a lot, but we really should be paying more attention to the food we eat.  As much as possible, we should know the source of our food.  When you open up a can of store-bought canned vegetables, do you really know anything about those vegetables?  Do you know how long they sat around before entering the can?  Do you know where the vegetables were grown?  The answer is simply, no.

I recently divided my Saturday morning between Jessica’s Organic Farmstand and the Sarasota downtown Farmer’s Market.  The Farmer’s Market is a great experience.  I say “experience” because you never know who you’re going to see or what you’re going to see, smell, taste and touch.  There are samples of cheese, tea, bread, pastries and juice to tantalize your taste buds.  You can buy lunch in the form of barbecue, fish sandwiches, etc.  You can buy plants and flowers, bread and pastries, herbs and vegetables, and the list goes on!  The Farmer’s Market brings people together and is a great community connector. It helps you know your food.

Jessica’s Organic Farm Stand is located on 47th Street, about 3-4 miles northeast of downtown.  All the vegetables sold there are organic, and much of it is grown right on premises.  You can see the vegetables fields behind the farm stand.  Your food was literally grown just a few feet away from where you’re buying it!  How amazing is that?  Jessica’s also sells farm fresh eggs, cheese and an assortment of dried fruits and nuts.

Lately I have forced myself to be creative by buying things I don’t normally eat.  Like turnips.  I had never eaten a turnip, and I saw a beautiful bunch for sale, so I bought them.  Turns out that turnips are actually pretty good!  (That is, if you could them with onions, garlic, red peppers and spices – all freshly and organically grown.)  Let your menus be guided by the fresh produce you buy – not the other way around!

Check out the bounty Michelle Donner collected on our visit.  Michelle took this photo and is available for your photography needs at Michelle Donner Photography.