If you don’t mind crowds and shopping outdoors, and you feel fulfilled at the sight of boxes of fresh vegetables and deli cases filled with layers of fruit, then consider the Coconut Grove Farmers Market. Glaser Organic Farms, in operation for more than 20 years, organizes the Saturday event. They provide many of the organic vegetables available as well as all of the tantalizing offerings at their raw foods market. They round out their selection with organic and non-organic offerings from other farms (both local and national) to fulfill almost any of your produce needs. In the mood for fresh coconut on a steamy afternoon? Stan Glaser will hack it open with a machete for you. The crisp greens sold at the market come straight from the farm, and they last for days in the refrigerator. My favorite salad mix is the baby greens with sprouts.
The raw foods market is inspiring in its breadth. Tracy Fleming is the chef behind the imaginative creations like the raw fruit pies. These pies are heavenly towers of fruit, and they come in all sorts of beautiful arrangements, like apple almond raspberry. The crust is a surprisingly delicious combination of raw fruits, nuts, and coconut ground into a grainy texture reminiscent of the Jello Graham Cracker Crust Mix, but a thousand miles beyond in flavor. If you want to try your hand at making your own pie, you can purchase one of the three different varieties of crust mix. There are also “rawies,” chewy snacks that look like a giant cookie, made from a combination of oats and banana or mango. Temple balls are another great snack; they look like truffles made of almonds, raisins, dates, and walnuts rolled in sesame seeds.
My current favorites are the sprouted almond chocolate milk (a little grainy, but satisfying) and the chocolate cashew milk shake (rich and divine!). Everything in the raw foods market is so colorful and visually arresting that it’s hard to stick to my shopping list. Most of the foods I’ve tried have been good to wonderful. The raw nori roll was not a clear winner, but it looked so enticing. They make it fresh, rolling whatever vegetables you choose (sprouts, peppers, carrots) into a giant roll of nori. The dressing I picked (lemon tahini) could have been more flavorful, but I’d be willing to give it another try. The majority of the ingredients used in the raw foods market are certified organic.
I could stock my whole kitchen at this market. I could visit each week for a year and try something new each time from the raw hummus, pestos, patés, nut butters (I add salt to mine), nut milk ice creams, nori crackers and pudding pies. There are 13 varieties of raw dressings, which have a long shelf life when refrigerated. I feel overwhelmed wandering the boxes of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, sun dried tomatoes, muesli mix, and beans.
Overall, most of the items are comparable to the organic section of your grocery store, and I can easily get a week’s worth of vegetables for $20 (a cotton shopping bag full). The raw market items are definitely comparable to items from your local deli or prepared foods section. There is a price list available from the cashiers or you can check their online price list for a general idea.
Coconut Grove Farmers Market
When: Saturdays, all year round, rain or shine, 10:30 am to 5 or 6 pm (seasonally adjusted)
Where: 3300 Grand Avenue, Coconut Grove (map)
You gotta be kidding me! Has this really been going on every weekend??? I’ve actually driven past that Farmer’s Market, but assumed it was like the one on Las Olas in Ft Lauderdale… lacking in the good stuff.
Next time I’m down there, I’m stopping at the market. Thanks for sharing!
Nice blog by the way, and thanks for the comments on mine!
Thanks for reawakening my memories of this market. I went a few times several years ago, and absolutely loved the temple balls you wrote about. I’m going back for more!
I must go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glaser is a great place. They have lots of stuff you honestly can’t find anywhere else. I used to shop there every week and still go about once every 2 months. But, I find the produce at Josh’s much fresher and cheaper, plus you get a receipt so you know what you paid for each thing so you can evaluate just what things are costing you (that $15 a pound herb may have only been $2; the $4 per produce may have been $9). Josh’s is at the Beach Boardwalk and Hollywood Blvd. (south part of the Ramada Hotel complex) Sundays 9-5:30. Josh doesn’t have the raw prepared foods or as much variety (absolutely nobody beats Glaser for variety), but the produce is fresher (most of Glaser’s stuff–at least what I buy–comes from California).