Restoring the Balance

I woke up on Monday morning in a lethargic, grease induced funk. My body was waging a war against me as I tried to summon the energy to start a new week of work. The night before I had seen an ad on T.V. for Papa John’s. Now, I usually don’t fall victim to commercials, but the advertisement ended with these wonderful lines: “Order delivery online now!”

You mean I can get a pizza and cheesy bread delivered to my door and never have to talk to anyone? Sweet! One hour and several pieces of lukewarm pizza and cheesy bread later, I was seriously regretting my gullibility. Sure it’s cool that you can order on line, but not that cool, and it certainly didn’t make Papa John’s food any better.

I was determined to get my diet, energy level, and gastronomical environment back in harmony. What I needed was some straight-from-the-earth fruits and vegetables to help sanitize my system and flush out the weekend’s wrongdoing. And what better place to get chemical-free, healthy, and cheap produce than a farmers’ market?

I couldn’t wait for the Saturday farmers’ market in Naples, so Wednesday morning I was cruising down Collier Blvd. with the wind in my hair and images of sweet mangoes, juicy oranges and gorgeous greens sprouting in my head.

Thankfully, the Marco Island farmers’ market did not disappoint. Although it started less than a year ago, the market was packed with people looking for their weekly produce, fresh fish, flowers, and other products. People elbowed their way through the crowd to the tables at the produce stands to get the last yellow onion, or bunch of organic radishes. The vast majority of the food is produced in Florida, including a stand that sold locally made honey.

Vendor Nick Batty runs a two-acre farm in North Naples, and comes down every Wednesday to sell his lettuce, arugula, kale, herbs and other greens. Everything he offers is grown from seed and certified organic by the USDA.

“The market seems to be growing fast, and has really taken off in the last month. The atmosphere between vendors and customers is great here,” Batty said.

It’s not all food though. You can also get fresh cut and potted plants, jewelry, baskets, candles, and other crafts. Market manager Veronique McMillan said she tries to maintain a good variety of stands, and not have too many vendors selling the same things.

And supporting the farmers’ market is not only good for your health and wallet, it even helps people in need. The fee vendors pay to have a stand at the market goes to the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee.

“Our motto, or goal, is to be a market that gives back to the community,” McMillan said.

I drove home with a 5 lb. bag of Honeybell oranges (think a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit), two avocados, two mangoes, a big handful of organic basil and five ears of corn, all for less than $10. Just thinking of the salads my yield would create made me feel a lot better.

I had to reach the summit of sloth, ordering pizza delivery on the Internet, to realize it, but putting in a little effort is well worth it for cheaper, healthier, more satisfying food.

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