New Local Thursday Farmers Market Review

Our new Clairemont/Bay Park Farmers Market is open from 3pm-7pm every Thursday in the parking lot on the corner of Clairemont Dr. and Burgener Blvd., the site of the former Keils and soon-to-be Sprouts. Bay Park resident Tim Higgins was kind enough to share his experience shopping at the market.

by Tim Higgins

Cindy and I went today (Feb. 2nd) at about 6:15. It was our first time. We bought some delicious Kenyan food from Rafikiz Foodz. We got three of the $12.00 combos which have a little of everything and they gave us so much food they could barely close the lid on the to-go boxes. The food was delicious and more than our two teenage sons could finish. Cindy bought a fresh ice tea from the smoothie vendor next door which was delicious.

Our next stop was the booth selling soul food and we had some of the best fried catfish and beans and rice I have ever had. Since they had run out of fried chicken she gave us a bunch of hush puppies for no extra charge. (Our boys enjoyed that as well).

We also stopped by Les Creme Essence and picked up a few bars of handcrafted soap.

The floral vendor had a great selection and we picked a bunch of tulips, (Cindy's favorite) that still had the bulbs attached. I used to be in the flower business, but have never seen them sold that way. Very unique.

We also stopped by one of the fruit and vegetable vendors and bought some broccoli, beets with greens, and strawberries.

Next we stopped by Real Roar. They sell raw food for cats and dogs as well as organic fish oil supplements. We may try some on our next visit for our Labrador who suffers from allergies.

Our last stop was the booth selling the gourmet frozen tamales. Of course we had to buy some (because teenage boys).

There were other booths selling a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, succulent gardens, fresh crepes, raw honey as well as handcrafted items. I'm sure I missed a few booths, but we plan to make it a part of our Thursday evening routine.

Do you like having a Farmers Market in the neighborhood? It will survive if we all patronize it as much as we can. Remember the big local markets were small when they started, consistent shoppers helped it thrive! Spread the word and make Thursday your Clairemont/Bay Park Farmers Market day! :-)