HOLDERS FARMERS MARKET on the outskirts of Holders House brings a basketful of local produce, plants, craft and other products.
Eating fresh and local is made easy with all the different farmers market throughout the island.
Most of the vendors spoken to last Sunday boasted of things locally grown and produced, mostly by hand from scratch.
“All local ingredients and all done by me, bottled by me,” said Natasha Davis of Nature’s Oils. Her 12-year-old business is all about being natural. She has been operating a stall at the location for the past three years selling infused oils, marinades, salad dressings, chutneys, pepper jellies, jam and stewed fruit.
Chef Luc Poirine makes a variety of breads – French style. His wife Yvette was manning the stall.
“It is all Luc’s handiwork. I just give a hand where needed,” she said, while offering me samples of cookies and chocolate truffles.
Luc is originally from France and was the executive chef at Almond Beach Hotel and a tutor at PomMarine. His table is a rotating variety when ingredients are in season and on Sunday he had quiches, dips, clafoutis, sables and grissini Parmesan, among other pastries.
“We use no fat, no sugar,” Yvette said, adding that they are also in Hastings on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Other vendors include Umoja Rock of Why Weight with her 100 per cent local smoothies and items that are sugar-free and gluten-free; and Merdene Cadogan of Earth Mother Botanicals, which sells cosmetic and medicinal products such as soca breadfruit soap, cocoa mint soap, massage oils and foot lotions.
“It is now the off season so things are slow, but we do very well in the high season,” she said, explaining the handful of buyers braving the midday sun.
Near her stall was Derek Went of Went Home, promoting healthy lifestyle.
“The company is nine years old but we have been doing this farmers market for about two years. We use it [market] as product development and research. All our stuff uses local ingredients and as such are nutritionally dense foods.”
The stall, while selling smoothies, also had coconut chips and flour, dried herbs, breaded mixes and spices.
One interesting drink was kombucha, an ancient fermented drink to help with intestinal problems and helps to boost the immune system.
Books, jewellery and clothing were also on sale and for those who wanted a full lunch, the Masala Grill took you back to the Asian continent.