Winter Park Farmers Market

One row of vendors selling everything from organic dog treats to sizzling brauts.

This Saturday we went to the Winter Park Farmers Market. It's a spot I know well, having been a vendor here of orchids and bromeliads for over a dozen years. The greatest strength of the market are its flowering plants and prepared foods. This place is nationally known, having been featured in several magazines and most recently shown on the Travel Channel's "Weekend Getaways with Samantha Brown. " And it's about as much fun as you could expect to have any where on the planet on a Saturday morning.

Here I am viewing a fine speciment of bromeliad at one of the market's several flowering plant stands.

One of the newer attractions is from a dairy located only about four miles from downtown Winter Park that makes artisinal cheese. They have a killer blue and just recently added a Swiss that is as good as any I've ever tasted. If the gouda they plan to be introducing in the fall is half as tasty, it will be good. Two incredible French cuisine stands produce some of the tastiest morsels imiginable. The one run by Quebecois has a croque monseuir made with boursin and bacon that is memorably moist and creamy. Another stand run by native Orlandoans has bread puddings, like key lime, double chocolate and rum raisin that are truly decadent.
For BreakfastI had a sicilian omelet cooked up by a Colombian family that included shrimp, asparagus and feta cheese, although the German woman's crepes would have been just as good.

This is not a good time for greens so my friends who grow organic ones just had the last of this season's zinnias and sunflowers. They plan to take August off. Our seasons in Florida march totally to a different drummer.

The charming couple who have a home here and a farm in Adele Georgia, came with some terrific peaches and the last of their summer squash and zucchini. I realize how much I miss this place, it's a groove that you have to get into coming each Saturday to kick off the weekend. And it's a habit I fully intend not to kick again any time soon.

The Winter Park Farmer's market having just celebrated its 30th year in existence drawes a crowd each weekend of market goers who come to enjoy the fine cuisine of local food artisans.