Ever yearn for a simpler time when vegetables and fruit were locally grown and the only food processing was done at home free of preservatives and chemicals? You can recapture a piece of the past at the annual Bean and Pepper Jamboree at the Greenmarket Pompano Beach on March 21st and at a variety of farmer’s markets offered at various times and locations throughout Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Harvest celebration
Rooted in the area’s agricultural history, the Bean and Pepper Jamboree began in 1946 at the Pompano State Farmers Market on Atlantic Boulevard, which was a major distribution hub for the country’s winter vegetables. Growers brought their fruit and vegetables there for shippers to purchase. The jamboree celebrated the end-of-season harvest and the entire community gathered at this much anticipated annual event for food, bingo and social time.
According to Fred Segal, president of the Broward County Farm Bureau, this harvest celebration discontinued in the mid 1970s, but was brought back seven years ago and is now held at the Greenmarket Pompano Beach and presented by the Broward County Farm Bureau and the Kiwanis Club of Pompano Beach.
More than a market for local produce, the event features about 50 vendors with food, gourmet sauces, pickles and preserves, flowers, handmade arts and crafts, live entertainment, games, contests and exhibitors.
One highlight will be an old-fashioned chicken drop fundraiser in which donors can purchase a $5 ticket for a chance that the chicken will lay an egg on their designated mat winning the prize. All proceeds from the event will support the Pompano Beach High School Key Club.
In another traditional activity, people can play a free game of Bingo in which the prizes are Farm Bureau products such as jars of preserves or homemade salad dressings.
“This is designed to be a family event that is fun for all ages,” said Segal. The Jamboree will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 21 at the Greenmarket Pompano Beach located on the corner of Atlantic Blvd. and S.W. 1st Ave. Call 954-972-2525 or visit browardfarmbureau.com to find out more.
Finding their niche
Locally grown foods and handmade products are offered throughout the year at green markets throughout Broward and Palm Beach counties. “These provide some people the opportunity to sell,” Art Kirstein, who oversees Palm Beach County’s office of agricultural development.
Described by Kirstein as more like a food court, they sell a lot more than just vegetables. “Some are incredibly popular, and they all have their different niche,” he said.
The West Palm Beach Green Market, which is the oldest in Palm Beach County, has been around for 18 years and is located right on the water. The Delray Beach Market, located right in downtown in Delray, also has a lot of character.
A list of green and farmer’s markets held regularly in Broward and Palm Beach counties follows. Take your family to visit one and taste a piece of your area’s history.
Broward markets
Community Farmers Market-Plantation
Saturdays 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
12050 W. Sunrise Blvd., Plantation
561-714-2745
Las Olas Sunday Market
Sundays 9 a.m. -2 p.m.
333 E Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
954-426-8436
Marando Farm Farmers Market
Monday-Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
1401 SW 1st Avenue, Fort Lauderdale
954-294-2331
Riverwalk Trust Urban Market
Saturdays 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
400 SW 2nd St., Fort Lauderdale
954-468-1541
Community Farmers Market
Sundays 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
7501 North University Dr., Tamarac
954-242-7910
Greenmarket Pompano Beach
Saturdays 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Corner of Altantic Blvd. and Cypress Rd., Pompano Beach
954-292-8040
Yellow Green Farmers Market
Saturdays and Sundays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
1940 N 30th Rd. Hollywood
954-513-3990
City of Parkland Farmers Market
November-April
1st and 3rd Sundays, 9 a.m. -1 p.m.
8350 Ranch Rd. Parkland
954-757-4120
Palm Beach markets
West Palm Beach Green Market
Saturdays 9 .a.m – 1 p.m.
101 S. Flagler Dr., West Palm Beach
wpb.org/greenmarket/
Palm Beach Gardens Green Market
Sundays 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
10500 N Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens
Wellington Green Market
Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
12300 Forest hill Blvd., Wellington
Royal Palm Beach Green Market and Bazaar
Sundays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
11600 Poinciana Blvd, Royal Palm Beach
Lake Worth Farmers Market
Saturdays 9 a.m.
Corner of Lake Ave and A1A
lakeworthfarmersmarket.com
Delray Green Market
Saturdays 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Old School Square Park on NE 2nd Ave.
Boca Raton Green Market
Saturdays 8 am – 1 pm.
Corner of S. Federal Hwy & S. Mizner Blvd.
localharvest.org/boca-raton-green-market-M1173
For more articles by Shelly Pond, please visit goodnewsfl.org/author/shelly/
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