Farmer's Markets in Osceola County, Florida

In Osceola County, Florida, there are many opportunities to acquire fresh produce. This is because there are many opportunities to find farmers markets. Some farmers markets stand alone, meaning they are an assembly of farmers who have gotten together to form a street market vending business.

Two of these markets meet on Thursday and Friday every week. The Thursday market meets at Toho Square located at the corner of Darlington Avenue and Pleasant Street in Downtown Kissimmee. You can find a big parking lot next to the train tracks and a sort of band shell or platform. That is what Kissimmee people call Toho Square.

The Friday market meets in the parking lot of the Mill Creek Mall on the corner of Oak Street and Highway 192. It meets from 8am to 6pm.

Both the Thursday and Friday markets have vendors from many cultures. There are the traditional American born farmers that sell the carrots, beans, squash, tomato, lettuce, cabbage, celery and radishes. Since Osceola County has a very, very large number of Latins and Caribbean folk in its population, the variety of produce stretches over to satisfy the more tropical palate. For example, boniato/batata is sold, as well as, yucca root, ñame (pronounced ni-a-me), pineapple, panapen, loquats, kumquats, star fruit, and other fruits and vegetables that only come in season. The prices of the produce have changed with the economy. Still, the prices have remained an attraction and distraction from the local grocery store. The cost is that low that a large family can eat well on a budget, for example, 3 peppers for a dollar or 10 tangerine for a dollar.

To make the produce last longer when you bring it home, cut it up if that option is applicable and store it in bags to be put into the freezer. Stores already have frozen veggies, so it would be silly not to develop your own economic system.

There is a different species of Farmer's Markets that exist in the Flea Markets. These Farmer's Markets are not as plentiful with produce and the prices are not as competitive (the prices are higher than the street vendors' prices) as customers are focused on other items in the outside strip mall. Yet, you can get a complete tossed salad worth with these fruit and vegetable stands.

There are three Flea Markets in Kissimmee:

1. 192 Flee Market Outlet

Address:

4301 W Vine St, Kissimmee, FL 34746

Phone:

(407) 396-4555

2. Flea & Farmers Market-Osceola

Address:

2801 E Irlo Bronson Mem Hwy, Kissimmee, FL 34744

Phone:

(407) 846-2811

3. Maingate At Flea Market Prices

Address:

5401 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy, Kissimmee, FL 34746

Phone:

(407) 390-1015

There are other smaller markets that you can look up in the Yellow pages but these are newsworthy sites because of their enormous walk-through-in-a-day size.

Buying at a local Farmer's Market is very good for your health because the produce has not gone through any of the additional chemicals to make it stay longer on the store shelves. You can see for yourself as you browse the Farmer's Market selections and notice that some of the food ages fairly rapidly and ripely as it sits out in the long, hot sun (especially in Florida). Buying at a local Farmer's Market also saves you a lot of money that you could be spending on the gas to get to the vendor site.

Even though, the prices are cheaper at the street vendor sites, sometimes you have to know what the prices are in the store to know if you are really getting a good buy. Some of the prices, especially, with today's type of economy are even identical to the prices of the produce on the store shelves. It pays big time to do a little research and homework.
Maybe you just moved to this area and are pressed for cash and need to put supper on the table. Hopefully this article will help. All others living in other areas of the country will do well to invest a little time and research into finding Farmer's Markets in your area. Hope this advice saves you some moula!