Naples Third Street South Farmers Market

Farmers markets are the spot to shop for both home cooks and those who don’t like to cook as well! Three’s no shortage of fresh produce-the person at the booth is often the very farmer! Different vendors can be found at Lee and Collier count farmers markets on different days, with the local produce and markets flourishing best in the late fall through spring.

At the Third Street South Farmers Market, there’s a bounty to be enjoyed every Saturday from 7:30 am to 11:30 am., located in the large parking area behind Sea Salt and Tommy Bahama’s. The food is so fresh, and supplies can be so enticing that I try to arrive before Chefs like Sea Salt’s Fabrizio Aielli, and others get their day’s selection!

Tokyo Sushi booth is one of my favorite spots for lunch. Owner Sue Yee’s Vietnamese-style spring rolls are light and oh so fresh and delicate tasting! One secret is using thin slivers of cooked egg white with carrots and fresh greens to give a great mouth feel and freshness. Wrapped in the lightest of tissue thin, moist rice paper, they are a treat for you with the vinaigrette-like dipping sauce, and a great Saturday gift to friends.

Their mango salsa is a must, and sells out early. There’s also sushi, sashimi, gyoza dumplings, sesame balls and kimchi salad for $3.50.

People come from miles around for her fresh produce-long beans, sweet oranges,

Chinese cucumbers, broccoli, ginger, onion, gourds and special bright red lychees with tiny seeds and lusciously sweet fruit. 3743 Tamiami Trail East in Naples Town Center next to Beall’s, 775-3388

Bamboo Café’s booth is the place to have a wonderful authentic crepe, custom made for you by Brittany, France native Irene Gueit, who offers several crepes. Buckwheat or sweet crepes are the base, and various tasty fillings are added before heating and serving. She makes crepe making look easy!

 The  $5 authentic quiche Lorraine is a "must have" if you are at the farmers market- it's perhaps better than any you've ever had. Why? it has an unusually  lush, oh so soft creaminess that could make men weak at the knees, and women swoon. One woman, seeing several of us rave over the taste, finally came over for a taste, saying, "I'm a vegetarian, but a little bit of bacon isn't going to kill me!" She swooned, and recovered before I could get a photo. There's also duck rillettes and pâté maison to have. Bamboo Café itself is near the Naples Dock, two of my favorite spots to take newcomers to Naples, has just added two fondues to the menu. The Fondue Savoyard, the favorite on the French Alps, combines the French Compte cheese with Swiss Emmentaler and Gruyere, along with Kirsch, white wine and a sprinkle of nutmeg ($24 per person, for minimum two people). Savor La Fondue Chocolat for dessert ($9 per person, for minimum two people). Fondues have been documented for over 300 years! Traditionally, if a man drops his bread in the pot, he buys drinks for all, and a woman must kiss her fellow diners.

 Visit Lisa, Philippe, and Isabel at either spot. 755 12th Avenue South, Naples, 643-6177

Jacquie’s Jamming is where I buy luscious jams ad salsas to give as gifts. I use them myself on baked chicken, pork loin, and steaks- even for a mango cheese fondue-Jacquie has the recipes handy!

There’s a brief, two week season in North Florida for blueberries, and Jacquie gets her fill for preserves. She creates cranberry calomondine jam, Key lime marmalade, strawberry preserve, jalapeno pepper jelly, mango jam, mango salsa and mango chutney.
 Many send her packaged jams back home as gifts from the tropics-no need to carry them on the plane.

 Visit her healthy restaurant during the week, too! 5630 Yahl Street #4, Naples, 514-0087, jacquiesjamming.com

Terry Banks heads Harvest Soup, with a steady stream of customers taking home her gourmet hot ad cold soups-there’s cabbage; Watermelon; carrot, orange and ginger bisque, vichysoisse, cream of mushroom, tomato, and my favorites, beet, and black bean soups.
Her Black bean is deliciously unique, not like a Cuban style black bean soup.

 It’s an enticing mix of onions, vegetable stock, carrots, chipotle peppers, cilantro and touch of garlic.In the photo, I’ve added a touch of cream; you can add your own diced onion, cilantro and desired hot peppers! I also like the red beet soup, too.

Bella Maria Café is the “go to” booth for wonderful, freshly homemade desserts. Maria Iribarren bakes the delicious tarts-today there were blackberry, raspberry and apricot tarts, with delicious berries atop a a light custard.

the quiches are a must-have, with several to choose from!

 Son Franco assists. Visit the homey Bella Maria Café Restaurant on 5th Avenue South for authentic Chilean and Spanish cuisines-try the choclo-meat and corn pie, terrific paella, many tapas, and get a taste for really unique cuisines and wines while you sit on the front patio and watch the world go by! 489 5th Ave South, Naples, 403-7222

“Mango Man” David and Jenny Burd are master gardeners-nourishing many of Naples fruit trees. David personally grows over fifty tropical fruits such as carambola, calamondin, mangoes, starfruit, jackfruit.

Jenny makes lush preserves, chutneys and jams such as Ulster marmalade, raspberry preserves, fig, rhubarb and ginger, sweet cherry, apricot, mango and cherry. She also has dehydrated fruits to nibble on. Try one of the seven natural loal honeys, including lychee, longan, orange, palmetto and Naples wildflower.

Rolle Eldridge ha a good variety of produce that finds a home on my table;

Mary’s produce is complementary.

Captain Kirk’s has been my “go to” spot for fresh seafood for years! I serve guests seasonal soft shell crabs, crab cakes, tripletail, Gulf pink shrimp, smoked fish dips, Florida lobster tails, Florida grouper, and choice salmon. 629 8th Street South, across from Cambier Park.

I can’t resist buying some of Tricia Aldridge’s Jubilee Handmade Soaps-you can detect their scent from a few booths away! Depending on the time of year, you’ll sample Anita’s Guacamole & Chips, Nick Battey’s Organic vegetables from Inyoni Farm, Jimmy P’s meats, Old Times German Bakery, Worden Farms, Naples Pasta Company, The Sauce Lady, and French Bread Oven.

Come on down this Saturday to Third Street South!