The Farmer’s Market at Cape Harbour kicked off Saturday, featuring everything from fruits, vegetables and breads, to seafood and desserts.
The event, now entering its fourth year, will be held from 8 a.m.-noon every Saturday until October. The seasonal market offers food and plant vendors, as well as booths with artwork and homemade items, like soaps and peanut butter. On Saturday morning, the first event of the season, Stephen Scott was working a booth for C & J’s Produce.
“It’s a good place, good business,” he said of the market, adding that the customers are nice.
The company serves up a wide variety of produce, from berries to brussel spouts, which it purchases from local vendors, from Ruskin to Lee County to Immokalee. Saturday’s brussel spouts came from North Fort Myers.
“Every weekend it’s all fresh produce,” Scott said.
He added that the top sellers are typically tomatoes and fruit.
Two shoppers browsing the tables Saturday were Doug and Linda Fuller. Owners of a vacation home in the Cape, the couple are repeat visitors to the event, where they have access to local produce that normally is not available until August in their home state of Nebraska.
“Just because you can get all these fresh fruits and vegetables,” Linda Fuller said of why they drop by.
Having picked up some vegetables and bread, she explained that they prefer the market to the grocery store.
“It’s fresher and locally grown,” Fuller said.
Asked how the start of the season compared to prior years, Doug Fuller said there seemed to be more vendors.
“It’s pretty good,” he added.
Cape resident Fran Ribeca also stopped by the market Saturday morning. Ribeca uses the event as an opportunity to get her and the dog out for some fresh air and pick up any needed groceries. She said she usually picks up some tomatoes, onions, peaches and bread, and maybe swings by the pet table if it is set up to grab a treat for the dog.
“It seems kind of small, but it has everything you’re looking for,” she said.
Ribeca also prefers market produce over the grocery store stuff.
“I think they’re less expensive and they haven’t been sitting for a long time,” she said.
In addition to the Farmer’s Market, the merchants at Cape Harbour have their doors open for shoppers.
Cape Harbour is at 5848 Cape Harbour Drive. For more information, call 945-6116 or visit: www.capeharbour.com.