In Jamaica, I lived in Tivoli Gardens which is in very close proximity to Coronation Market; one of the most popular farmer’s market in Kingston. During the weekdays, my grandma would send me there to buy items that she needed to replenish. I was like 10 years old and I wasn’t afraid. Little did I know that I was earning/gathering/preparing/getting in formation for my culinary shopping skills. Sometimes I would go there myself whenever I was in the mood for banana fritters. I would find the vendor that had the bananas with the most speckles on them. That was an indication that all the sugars had developed and it was perfect for baking (desserts) or frying fritters.

Farmer’s markets have become my playground. Hollywood Farmer’s Market happens to be my favorite. By far it’s the largest farmer’s market I’ve ever encounter in the USA.  Amidst the food, there’s entertainment which makes it kinda unique. In addition to the abundance of exotic and unfamiliar produce; raw milk and natural products are also readily available. My search for greens and more greens never fails, because I like to fuse them into my culinary delights as often as I possibly can.

I get deja vu each time I visit Hollywood farmer’s market. It takes me back to my childhood. At that time in my life, preservatives and chemicals were unheard of (not to say they never existed) but the food was pure and wholesome. My grandma always cooked from scratch and made amazing salads. She NEVER used salad dressings. Correction: she did. It was some kind of oil and vinegar mixture with salt and pepper (which is the natural composition of a salad dressing) and it complimented the lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes perfectly. Not the chemically ladened salad dressing that are now on supermarket shelves. She would buy lots of red, green leaf and that tender butter lettuce. I can’t believe that after all these years, I can actually remember that. I’m such foodie at heart.

These days, my salads are more that lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. I’m blessed to have access to much of the richness and lusciousness that God’s garden has to offer. The universe always provides for my family and I. The earth and its nutritious plants, herbs, fruits, nuts, trees and seeds are here for all of us. I’m simply revelling in my love and awareness for the natural medicines from the earth. My ‘Farm’acy does my body good!