Jess Raigosa
Staff Writer
Farmer’s markets offer a variety of appeal to local residents. With everything from fresh produce and unique baked goods to all kinds of handmade treasures, the Lakeland Farmer’s Market is no exception to this idea of variety.
“The market has many different vendors and my favorites are the booths that sell contemporary DVDs and CDs for super cheap,” Kristen Ryan, sophomore, said.
Open 11 months out of the year, the market is closed in August, the Lakeland Farmer’s Market takes over the downtown atmosphere on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
If food is the way to your heart, consider vendors like Abuelo’s, a Mexican restaurant, known for bringing authentic flavor to the market with steak and chicken tacos, sprinkled with fresh cilantro and drizzled in fresh lime juice.
Be sure to save room for dessert, too, at the Poor Porker, a popular vendor at the Lakeland Farmer’s Market that is a favorite among locals and visitors alike.
Known for its fresh, New Orleans-style beignets, the Poor Porker also serves chicory coffee from its handcrafted wooden booth.
With beignet flavors ranging from traditional, which is plain and generously dusted with powdered sugar, to the lemonade, which is covered in lemon zest in additional to powdered sugar, it’s no surprise that owners, Robyn Wilson and Jarrid Masse, often run out of these fried delights so quickly every week.
The Farmer’s Market also offers locally grown fruits and vegetables as well as fresh baked goods, marked and packaged for individual sale.
Whether you’re looking for a filling loaf of sourdough bread, or fruit filled pastries, your sweet tooth can be satisfied right here in downtown Lakeland.
“The fresh fruit and vegetables they offer are, in my opinion, some of the best tasting produce around town,” Ryan said.
Your one-stop-shop for produce and plants, the Lakeland Farmer’s Market also features seasonal nuts and herbs.
Patty Strollo’s famous pasta sauce, known for being meatless and homemade, is sold here as well.
All delicious food items aside, homemade jewelry, candles, soaps and pottery are sold as well.
Sunspot Creations, a local vendor known for interesting rocks and handcrafted jewelry, sells glass beads.
The Flock, a vendor consisting of a “flock of friends,” sells vintage furniture, home décor and gifts for various prices.
In addition to selling vintage finds at the market, The Flock also creates vintage pieces for customers and its merchandise availability changes each week based on sales and finds.
Some vendors own retail space in downtown Lakeland.
Got Candy, a local specialty sweet shop, offers more than the brands you see at the check-out line in local grocery stores.
They are particularly known for their fresh cotton candy, caramel apples, sundaes and cake pops.
The Downtown Lakeland Farmer’s Market is located at N. Kentucky Avenue at E. Pine St.
