Farmers Markets in Gainesville…A Growing Business 
 

Farmers’ markets are fun. That is, if you like a cheerful atmosphere, music playing, colorful tents, crowds of friendly people and piles of produce—some quite unique, the variety of wares, searching for a bargain.

Visiting a farmers’ market is a great way to better understand a locality.

“When you go to a farmers’ market, you get a unique experience of that community,” said Sharon Yeago, who manages the High Springs Farmers Market. “That’s when you really get the flavor of a community.

 “It’s doing what the locals do. If you visit any community, go to its market, where local people are selling their wares,” she said on one busy Thursday afternoon in High Springs. A folk singer with her guitar was creating a cheerful ambience, although barely heard over the chatter of customers and producers. In addition to tables piled with greens, strawberries, broccoli and green beans were bakers of breads, cookies and pies, a candle-maker, an herbalist with organic teas and dried herbs, a woodworker, and a nurseryman with a variety of plants and helpful advice, and more. Visitors may learn something, too.    

T

hey may be surprised to see that blueberries grow in Florida as well as Maine. Or know that oranges come in as many varieties as apples. Tomatoes grow year-round, although in greenhouses during the coldest months.

And, corn is harvested twice a year. Florida’s seasons provide a bounty of food, some unlike most other places, such as okra, white eggplant, red-tinged scallions and every type of greens.
A farmers’ market may be the easiest place to buy beef from grass-food cows or certified milk. Also, you may find food-to-go from pastries to hot dogs to sausage-and pepper sandwiches.

I didn’t have to look too far for my food fix in Gainesville.  As a matter of fact, on many a Wednesday afternoon -- I actually peek outside my office window and see the vendors for our Downtown Farmer’s Marketing setting up shop across the street in our Downtown Community Plaza.  It’s a reassuring site really; to me somehow, strangely I admit, the gathering of the farmers and vendors under those little white tents signifies that all is right with the world.  I mean what’s more balanced and true than a simple, yet bountiful spread of just-plucked vegetables and buckets bursting bright with just-picked Florida wildflower bouquets.

A stop at Rosie’s Organics always delivers the most tender (and organic) greens  -- they beg for little more than a light drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of a juicy lemon and just the lightest sprinkle of salt.  This summer we’ve enjoyed a bumper crop of plump blueberries -- the last of the season’s supply of berries is dwindling now, but still just begging for a pie shell or a cobbler to call their own.  And one whiff and better yet, that first luscious nibble of the freshly baked whole grain breads, quickly reminds (and reassures) me that there are indeed folks who understand the difference between golden loaves created with true taste and texture vs. paste and preservatives.

If you visiting Gainesville and just can’t make it to the Wednesday afternoon downtown market,  here are some alternatives to whet your appetite for all things farm fresh from Alachua County – dine at either of Chef Bert Gill’s restaurant’s – Mildred’s or Ti Amo.  High-end but Florida fresh.  And guests overnighting at most Gainesville Bed & Breakfast’s promises a bountiful breakfast featuring local market finds. 

Not to channel Martha Stewart on any level, but Farmer’s Markets are a good thing and a great (and free) way to explore a city and  tell you so much about the destination ; even, pun intended, it’s historic roots.  Some pundits might even argue that the soul of a city can truly be found through it’s soil.  The richer the better I say. 

Oh my goodness..the going green movement in Florida’s tourism industry has gone from zero to zany at breakneck speed.  Hotels large and small still choosing to be naïve and okay, “green” about becoming green is a really big business faux pas.  Yes, visualize Mother Earth giving the big “no-no’ finger wag to hoteliers that are giving her the thumbs down about hopping on the go-green train!

This whole Florida hotels-get-green-now message certainly got a swift boost when the state’s Big Cheese, in this case, Gov. Crist – just in case you were thinking Mickey Mouse – mandating that any employee under his umbrella (cozy) has to stay and conduct meetings, events and/or functions at certified green properties.

The problem, moreover, the challenge in this whole going green movement – especially for hoteliers is – how do they “go green” without breaking the bank.  It is a daunting task for sure.  Even in our personal world and at home, living on the sustainable side, has become much more than just simply switching to squiggly light bulbs and remembering to recycle dog-eared issues of The Gainesville Sun. 

The promising news here though is that there is hope for frustrated hoteliers -- the Florida Green Lodging Conference – the first of it’s kind in the Sunshine State – will take place right here in Gainesville Nov. 10-12 www.treeo.ufl.edu/confererences/greenlodging 

 There, hoteliers and their engineering folks can rub elbows and ask all the necessary questions with the DEP guys and a whole cast of other really knowledgeable green people (na-nu, na-nu greetings nice, but not necessary).

On a personal/consumer side, we brown thumbs in all-things-eco-friendly -  can read/study and learn from a cool book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Living  -- written by Trish Riley www.trishriley.com –  a nationally recognized author and investigative reporter, who actually, we’re proud to say, is a fellow Gainesville resident – therefore we unabashedly and of course without her permission, but we hope with her blessing…claim her as our as our very own Green Goddess of Gainesville (and beyond…..).

So hoteliers and fellow teetering, quasi-sustainable consumers beware and forewarned … our days are numbered…our list of excuses for being green about going green are pretty close to exhausted… and besides, let’s face it, we’ve actually known for a long while now that you can’t fool with Mother Nature – and get away with it.  She and Karma are just too close of friends.

This might hint of mushy and over-stated, but last week, I was surrounded by journalism greatness. No, I wasn’t on a tour of the Newseum or at a White House press briefing.   I had the honor of co-hosting eight travel and outdoor writers on an Original Florida press familiarization trip through Natural North Florida. 

They were an incredible group.  As a matter of fact, in all the years, (note hand over the mouth so the actual number is muffled and inaudible), I’ve hosted press fams, they were the coolest collection of cats yet.  And let me just say, achieving, let alone maintaining “coolness” all the while canoeing, kayaking, and hiking even in the rising mercury of the Florida in June, is alone, a remarkable feat.

I tip my hat to the writers for numerous reasons.   First, it was abundantly clear that each journalist was true to their editorial mission – seeking, searching, and ultimately retrieving scoop, to ultimately crank-out the best stories for their readers.  Even amid the humidity and haze of this five-day fam, they had focus, sharp focus.  

What also struck me with these fam-goers was their incredible consideration of their fellow journalists. Because honestly, let’s face it, some fam itinerary stops are just more “editorially rich” for some journalists than for others.  (I’m still trying to figure out how Sue, the gutsy outdoor writer from the Miami Herald, is going to incorporate the tour of the Suwannee Valley Quilt Shop into her Ginnie Springs scuba diving feature! Not!) 

Bottom line, their patience with, and respect for, one another were generous gifts to observe.      

As matter of fact, my admiration for this traveling band of award-winning writing and photo-taking gurus went so far that it even crossed my mind that they should actually be our permanent fam participants.   I day-dreamed that we’d simply ask them for their perfect travel dates, present them with yet another cool itinerary in North Natural Florida, pack their bags, pick-em up and hit the trail again! They were just that impressive – individually and collectively.

Sometimes even the cutest stories come in small paragraphs…

Roland, our fearless leader here at VisitGainesville, has an unwritten work mantra that’s something close to “have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously while you doing the serious work of marketing Gainesville.”   So it didn’t surprise me in the least when he recently shared this little story….

One of our prestigious tourism associations recently invited Roland, a 40-year veteran of the hospitality industry, to be a guest speaker at an upcoming national conference.  Gracious hambone that he is, he accepted, jumping and waving his arms vigorously in true Sally Field “they like me, oh, they really like me” fashion. 

Then, in an attempt to personalize his introduction, the association asked him to recall,  that as a young boy, what it was he wanted to be when he grew up.  Without a moments hesitation, he answered, ‘a dinosaur and to be specific, Dino the Sinclair Oil mascot.  And look, it's true, I have become one!"

By the way, Roland, the Florida Museum of Natural History is calling..

Sometimes even the cutest stories come in small paragraphs…

Roland, our fearless leader here at VisitGainesville, has an unwritten work mantra that’s something close to “have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously while you doing the serious work of marketing Gainesville.”   So it didn’t surprise me in the least when he recently shared this little story….

One of our prestigious tourism associations recently invited Roland, a 40-year veteran of the hospitality industry, to be a guest speaker at an upcoming national conference.  Gracious hambone that he is, he accepted, jumping and waving his arms vigorously in true Sally Field “they like me, oh, they really like me” fashion. 

Then, in an attempt to personalize his introduction, the association asked him to recall,  that as a young boy, what it was he wanted to be when he grew up.  Without a moments hesitation, he answered, ‘a dinosaur and to be specific, Dino the Sinclair Oil mascot.  And look, it's true, I have become one!"

By the way, Roland, the Florida Museum of Natural History is calling..

Most who know me are not the least bit surprised, and quite frankly even expect, me to stand on my portable soap box on a fairly regular basis.  Today’s soap box is sponsored by Scott McClellan.   Scott who?  Name sounds familiar, but just not sure how or why? 

Yea, he’s, the former White House spokesman that just wrote the tell-all book (well, what he was told and moreover, not told) while in the “W”(pronouced "dub-yah," of course) administration.  In a nutshell, he says crucial details about numerous issues were withheld from him by the top dogs to cover their proverbial tails on a more than regular basis. That’s my euphemistic, Southern way of saying, he was “done lied to.”

This is the stuff “real” public relations professionals’ nightmares are made of…

And seriously, all politics aside –that’s another blog, another day – this whole recent White House who-ha, is a great, even poignant, reminder to all CEO’s, presidents, executive directors, leaders of corporate and non-profit entities alike – that you should, NO, you must, keep key PR/communication professionals and your spokesperson in the loop on all issues large and seemingly small.

And if that makes you feel a bit squirmy, then I would encourage you to examine that uneasiness and ask yourself does it point to how you manage your organization and it’s issues or do your need to reconsider who you’ve charged with this key and crucial role within your organization.    Gosh, maybe even both!

But when all these questions are asked and answered, just know that the “right” PR professional not only acts as a spokesperson to the outside, but also as a key advisor analyzing all aspects of issues or projects for the inner sanctum. 

But let’s make one thing perfectly clear --ooh, did that sound like Richard Nixon?? shutter, shutter-- even  the most veteran PR pro can’t make a bad executive decision all better…it can only make sure it doesn’t get worse.

Put another way, if you don’t have a PR adviser, get one; if you aren’t including them in key policy decisions or you're not being candid with them, then start; and if you choose to disregard both, then just be forewarned that the great law of PR karma will indeed be invoked, so brace yourself, because as one of my favorite philosopher’s, Lewis Grizzard, used to say…”that dog will bite you!” 

Okay, I’m stepping down from my soap box for today.   Lucky you...And you know, lucky me too.  I do feel cleansed.

My daily morning commute takes me right by Gainesville High School…and a nearby Starbucks.  So it’s really not that unusual (or wondrous for that matter) to see the parade of 1,000-calorie whipped cream laden Frappuccinos and backpacks. 

But on this special day, I actually saw a high schooler holding a coffee cup in one hand and…..a newspaper in the other!  Yep, that’s right, a real, hot-off-the-press, fold-em’ up and tuck it under your arm Tuesday edition of the Gainesville Sun.  Wow.   I know…you’re thinking…huh?  But ask yourself, when was the last time (okay, the first time?) you’ve seen a teenager actually carrying a newspaper…a real daily rag.   Reading a text message on a cell phone doesn’t count.   A textbook is closer, but no cigar.  And certainly while cool and convenient, reading a newspaper online is not even close to the aroma of fresh newspaper ink swirling with that first cup of morning joe…intoxicating.   

To me, seeing this young man carrying the newspaper gave me pause (the red light didn’t hurt the timing either), perhaps even the promise that he was actually going to read it and even, yes even, comprehend current events.  A glimmer of hope that the youth of America cares about the future of our nation, the presidential election and who’ll lead our nation, the prosperity of our Social Security system, stabilizing fuel prices, the sanctity of world peace and eradicating famine in third world countries?   Okay, too far. 

But this site that faded in my rear view mirror, did indeed, give me a glimmer of hope on several levels…so thank you young high school boy! Buy another newspaper anytime and enjoy the read…and before you have to don reading glasses to focus on it!   

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