Farmers Market Healthily Growing

BROOKSVILLE - Local farmers have a new place to showcase their produce.

Three Saturdays ago, downtown Brooksville hosted its first Farmers Market, which has become a weekly event for downtown.

The word is getting around.

Everyone from squash growers to organic chocolate vendors are signing up to take part.

"People are asking, 'Do you think you'll close another (block)?" said Lisa Callea, who helped organize the market with her husband. "It definitely has created a buzz."

The market opened during the summer, when many local residents spend most of their time up north or when people are less inclined to get out of their air-conditioned homes.

Nonetheless, it is drawing crowds. Some residents simply prefer to buy from local farmers. Many of them travel from Spring Hill to do so.

"That's the nice thing about it," said Don Minie, of Timber Pines, who bought hydroponic lettuce Saturday along with his wife. "We're helping the local economy."

Visitors could purchase a variety of produce Saturday, including tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, eggplant, plums, onions and beans.

"You go to a grocery store and their produce will be in storage for months," said Lark Napier, of Napier's Farm Produce outside of Zephyrhills.

Napier is not an organic farmer because he refuses to pay the government to obtain his certification. But he applies organic principles - namely no preservatives.

"Chemicals are horrible," he said. "They're not healthy."

When Callea and her husband reinvented the Rising Sun Café down the block at 10 S. Main St., they wanted to revitalize all of downtown.

They began displaying and selling pieces from local artists and worked with other business owners to attract more customers.

Downtown had always been known as a bustling place during the work week, but never during the evenings and rarely during the weekends.

They hope the Farmers Market is the first step toward injecting the area with more flavor.

"This has been way far from what I expected," said Callea.

More farmers and vendors will begin selling their goods at the Farmers Market beginning Saturday.

The event is held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday along Main Street - between Broad and Jefferson Streets.

In addition to fruits and vegetables, visitors can find organic plants, soaps and chocolate.

Most of the foot traffic occurs in the morning. Callea expects more afternoon customers once the weather gets cooler, she said.