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Leather handbags, assorted cuties by Gourds Gone Wild and pieces by Unique Jewelry and Statement can be found at the variety of markets this weekend. Submitted photos -
Leather handbags, assorted cuties by Gourds Gone Wild and pieces by Unique Jewelry and Statement can be found at the variety of markets this weekend. Submitted photos
Saturday, Dec. 16 may have you feeling the stress of a rapidly approaching holiday, but have no fear, the Fernandina Beach Arts Market and the Fernandina Beach Market Place farmers market will have two more markets before Christmas, three before the end of the year. Open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine, these family friendly markets will have you checking off both your grocery and shopping lists while strolling North Seventh Street, in the historic district, breathing in the fresh air, while being serenaded by the beautiful music of Jenn Burns.
You will find seasonal produce from Bacons, Kings, and the Carter Family Homestead booths; wild caught local shrimp brought into port from Eddie Chesser and Chesser Seafood; and beef, chicken, and pork from vendor JD Beef. Highly unusual is a sale on grass fed ground beef at the farmers market. With big box stores rapidly increasing their prices, when you buy locally sourced foods, you can often save money due to shorter shipping distances and not paying the middle man.
Through Christmas, or until they sell out, Danny and Sandra Durrence will be offering 20, one-pound packages of their farm raised beef, grown without antibiotics or hormones, for only $75.00. That is just $3.75 per pound, and it is packaged in one pound blocks. Perfect for the freezer, or even giving as gifts. Durrance Farms is a fourth generation family owned and operated farm in Glennville, Ga., situated about halfway between Statesboro and Jesup. They have four poultry houses, a produce farm and the JD Beef cattle operation. You can taste the difference.
Returning to the market Saturday is Rose and her An-believable Egg Rolls. Made from her grandmother's recipe, these are authentic Vietnamese egg rolls, in vegetable, chicken, five spice chicken, or as a shrimp roll. You can even select soy sauce or a spicy soy sauce as a take home condiment. The egg rolls are frozen and easy to cook in the oven, deep fried, or air fried. African Love Kitchen's Chef Ibrahim also prepares sambusa that you can pick up ready-to-eat, or take home frozen. He is offering a holiday special on a boxed set of three sauces. If you have tried any of them, you already know what a delight this will be. Look for him to prepare a mango sauce, a mild sauce, and of course, something spicy. Speaking of spicy. Red Flag Spicy Foods is back on Saturday with their line of custom sauces, and these are perfect stocking stuffers. Our household goes into withdrawls if we run out of Chef Jason's Max Power mustard sauce.
Also, in the farmers market you will find locally sourced honey, pecans for holiday cooking or stuffing in stockings, natural soaps and body products - including loofah grown in Fernandina Beach, sweet treats like cookies, brownies, cakes and fudge, and several vendors with live plants including poinsettias, succulents, patio and landscaping plants, and colorful orchids. Located adjacent to the farmers market, on the east side of Seventh Street, and in the parking lot behind Pineland Bank, is the Fernandina Beach Arts Market. There are 30 artists and crafters including a bladesmith, J. Thompons Knives; a wordsmith, Steve Gibbs; and our metalsmiths who twist, turn, hammer, and otherwise practice their crafts working with metals including gold, copper, silver, and more. You will find a glazier, who works with glass; carpenters, seamstresses, painters, and a ceramist or potter. We have yarn wizards, pointillism pieces, leatherworkers, and some mighty creative and talented crafters working with a wide variety of mediums in the Arts Market. This week's Market Sponsors are A1A Solar, All American Gutter Systems, and Granite Transformation.
In addition to the farmers market and the arts market, there is also the Alternative Christmas Fair, located adjacent to the farmers market at United Methodist Memorial Church. They will be set up on the west side of North Seventh Street, behind the church. Look for almost 30 additional exhibitors such as America's Youth, The ARK Nassau, Arts Alive, The Barnabas Centre, Micah's Place, the Council on Aging, Interfaith Dinner Network, Rise Against Hunger, Kenya's Partners and many more. All of these organizations are worthy of a second look, whether looking to donate, pick up a gift, or to donate your time and talents with. This season really brings out the best of humanity in our special piece of paradise that we are all fortunate enough to call home.
For more information, please follow the markets on Facebook or online.
