Let’s go to the Barbados Vendors Market located on Mighty Grynner Highway, previously named the Spring Garden Highway, to get all your fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. A place to bring all your Bajan recipes alive.
Mighty Grynner Vendors Market is not the official name; but I love how it sounds, it has a nice ring to it. Located in Saint Michael, Barbados.
Update: It’s call BARVEN Super Outdoor Market.
Markets like these open often one day a week and then only for 3 to 7 hours and in this case that will be Saturday mornings. You will get some produce you don’t normally see in supermarkets that are grown and sold fresh.
Fresh produce and herbs are plentiful at farmer’s markets, and sometimes cut flowers too. The items are fresh, and often they cost less than at a supermarket.
Support the vendors
Markets can have resellers so if you’re conscious about your crops, then always check to see if it is a growers only market or one at which vendors sell what they grow. Like other food venues, only 20% two 35% of the food will be grown Organically.
I like shopping at these farmers market since about 75% of the money we spend will stay in the local Barbados economy and it directly helps farmers and small business people.
Buy as much of your food as possible at the farmers’ market, and in the process, help support your local farm families and local economy.
Meet the farmers
I get to meet real farmers and most times I can go directly to their homes if it’s not the traditional Saturday morning and get my produce.
The vendors generally know a lot about what they are selling as they grew or made it. If you have questions? Just ask and they will talk to you direct.
Farmers Markets in Barbados are great places to meet and greet people. The social aspect of the farmers market is one of my favorite things about them and why I have been going to buy my goods for cooking.
It’s great to have a relationship with the growers. In a world where we cultivate our relationships, I like to connect with the workers from the farm.
Friendly faces
Not all vendors harvested the produce; some come and sell at the market. I value a friendly face and a cheerful attitude. I like to see dirt on my produce, or taste the freshness of the fruit and to know what fruits are in season.
Sometimes there is discount produce – what is overripe or at the end, they want to get rid of. I become choosier and value freshness and quality. Overall, I like being part of a community that values local farmers.
Cooking
Yes, I buy carrots, fresh sweet potatoes, and anything else I need. Sometimes I like to go to the farms and pick stuff myself. It’s fun. I also buy the fresh herbs for my Shepherds Pie and Cou Cou dishes.
My favourite dishes (see recipes)
- Shepherd’s Pie
- Bajan Fish Pie
- Bajan Prickle Pig Foot
- Barbados Cou Cou
- Okra & Rice
- Tamarind Chicken Wings
- Pudding & Souse
What to bring
Yourself, a hunger for tasty fresh food, an open mind, a wallet, purse, your phone, and protection from the elements. The Vendors Market located on Mighty Grynner Highway is an open-air environment.
Expect to get delicious conkies, a real true Bajan delicacy, fishcakes, bakes, sweetbreads, banana breads, cassava pones, natural juices, and fresh coconut water.
Expect to get these same goodies during our Bridgetown Market festival season
Benefits to farmers
Farmers benefit from direct to consumer sales with very little charge to set up a tent, however, you will need a permit to sell your products on the Mighty Grynner Highway.
An embedded market of people who are health conscious and will pay for fresh organic products. They literally drive, catch a bus, or walk to the market looking for it.
No middle man, no distribution margin – farmers sell directly to the end consumer which is less headache for them.
Farmers get to meet other people in their industry and get to know they are not alone.
The barter network is incredible especially if you’re a regular. Come on down to the Mighty Grynner Highway vendors market and meet the vendors, get your fresh fruits and vegetables.
Farmers are important to Barbados
Farmers are very important to Barbados because they provide food and fiber that nourishes and cloths us.
They make responsible use of natural resources and utilize both primitive and very advanced technologies to accomplish this.
They have the ability to deal with varied growing seasons, climatic variations, soil conditions, and the often harsh catastrophic events like drought and floods.
- Yesterday you ate the food because the farmer cultivated that food,
- Today you are eating the food because farmer cultivating that food,
- Tomorrow you want to eat food this is also by the farmer who going to cultivate that food.
In other words
- You lived yesterday because of a farmer,
- You are living today because of a farmer,
- You are going to live tomorrow this is also because of a farmer.
Specialty
In some areas, farmers are very specialized in what and how they produce a limited number of products.
The required knowledge that is necessary for highly diverse enterprises is very high and requires the use of many technologies and fields of expertise.
If you’re living outside of Barbados but want to meet me when you visit, I will be at the Vendors Market located on Mighty Grynner Highway this Saturday and every Saturday If I can make it.
