*This post was sponsored by Fresh From Florida as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, however, all opinions expressed are my own.*
I’m a country girl who grew up on the sun-drenched Emerald Coast of the Florida Panhandle. I built castles on the beach, tubed down our rivers, and picked fresh vegetables from my grandparents’ farms. When I lived in Minnesota, I missed that simple farm life the most. I loved picking fresh, seasonal produce year-round for our dinner table. One thing I learned growing up on a Florida farm is that there is always something delicious in-season.
During my recent Publix shopping trip, I saw a visual representation of how Florida’s farmers still ensure we enjoy fresh produce year-round. “Fresh From Florida” signs dotted the produce department. I saw signs near the green beans, on tomatoes, and even radishes! Right now, farmers work the fields harvesting their in-season bounties and ship them to our local Florida stores. I feel good knowing that I am purchasing local, seasonal produce.
Why is eating local and seasonal produce better?
Not only does my purchase help sustain our local farmers, but eating seasonal produce has many advantages. Farmers take special measures to coax plants to grow outside of their normal growing cycles. Therefore, seasonal produce usually costs less. Seasonal produce does not require extraordinary growing measures so it’s also better for the environment. Additionally, farmers harvest for local shipments closer to the plant’s maturity. That means the fruits and vegetables taste fresher and retain more natural nutrition. Fresh from Florida put together a printable checklist of in-season food selections! Save it so you can enjoy the freshest produce any time of the year!
Writing about all these fresh delights spurred my appetite. It also stirs memories of growing up on a small Florida farm. I’m eager to dive into some fresh sauteed snap beans and tomatoes. On future trips, I’ll keep an eye out for freshly picked Fresh From Florida strawberries, cabbage, and mushrooms. I can already taste that cabbage and mushroom soup followed by some freshly hulled, sweet strawberries.
Favorite Fresh From Florida Recipes
So, are you looking for a little taste of Florida sunshine? Check out the Fresh From Florida recipe page, or follow them on social media for a variety of fresh, quick and healthy recipes and how-to videos!
You can Follow the Fresh here:
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Alicia Taylor
We enjoy hosting parties and my husband and I are both avid gamers. You can find me on PS4 as SunshineFlaGirl. We also play tabletop RPGs and eurogames.
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53 Comments
Cia Black
March 24, 2018 - 4:13 pmI don’t know why anyone would choose canned products. I’m all about fresh products and you have just shown why.
eliza
March 22, 2018 - 5:19 pmYou are so lucky to be close with all these fresh veggie, life is truly healthy and more vibrant with fruits and vegetable as diet. I can’t wait to check out your recipes thanks for sharing sis.
cwinter012
March 21, 2018 - 10:02 pmYummy! I can’t wait until we can start gardening here. It’s still snowing! 🙁
Becca
March 21, 2018 - 3:34 pmThose radishes really are ravishing!! Radishes are probably one of my favourite veggies – them and celery 🙂 though not many people like either, so I don’t tend to put them in salads when I’m cooking for others lol x
Daisy
March 21, 2018 - 10:34 amI also love finding fresh local grown produce for my family…. it always tastes better plus I feel better knowing the footprints my food has taken to get to us…
kumamonjeng
March 21, 2018 - 6:55 amI totally agreed with eating local and eating fresh is good for us. The place I stayed do not have any fresh vegetable and fresh fruits grown locally because our land is so tiny. 99% of our vegetable and fruits are all imported from all over the world. You guys are lucky!
Alicia Taylor
March 21, 2018 - 2:01 pmFlorida has year-round farmer’s markets. I grew up used to fresh veggies all the time. I moved to another state with winter most of the year – and only a couple of farmer’s markets a year. I really learned to appreciate it.
GiGi
March 20, 2018 - 6:23 pmI love love love loveeeee green beans!! 🙂 And asparagus too!
keikilani
March 6, 2018 - 1:26 pmFresh, local produce not only tastes better, but is helping your neighbor! I love when different veggies come into season and you can find an abundance everywhere you turn.
Bree
March 6, 2018 - 10:53 amI live in Florida and I love the fresh produce here! I enjoy visiting the local farms on the weekend, and if I can’t make a trip, then Publix is the way to go! You can definitely see (and taste) a difference in quality depending on where you get your groceries.
Milena BarrettMilena
March 6, 2018 - 6:57 amIve been trying to cook with more seasonal vegetables for better nutrition and taste. Having access to farm fresh produce at the grocery sure helps!
deborah dennert
March 6, 2018 - 1:41 amI love fresh produce. We have two local farmer’s markets and I love shopping at them weekly.
Adriana Lopez
March 5, 2018 - 10:07 pmAren’t we lucky to live in Florida? I love our fresh berries and the Zellwood corn, not to mention the produce from Duda Farms and the Florida mushrooms yummy!
Alicia Taylor
March 6, 2018 - 9:18 amOh my goodness – yes! When I lived in Minnesota, I missed home so much – especially fresh produce in the winter months.
Rebecca
March 5, 2018 - 7:55 pmI love this perk of living in Florida. We just scored an entire flat of strawberries today. SO fresh and yummy.
Alicia Taylor
March 6, 2018 - 9:19 amOoh! Nothing is sweeter than fresh strawberries.
Beth Davidson
March 5, 2018 - 7:10 pmI love grocery stores that have local sections in the front. It makes so much easier to find the best stuff because like you said, fresh is best!
Alicia Taylor
March 6, 2018 - 9:19 amYes! Or have them clearly marked with signs. Why would I buy produce from another country when there is fresh produce from right here!
Dawn Nieves
March 5, 2018 - 6:38 pmSo many yummy options!! I definitely try to eat fresh and local whenever I can.
reesa
March 5, 2018 - 5:00 pmThere are so many delicious things to enjoy! I wish I had the option to enjoy some of these things all year round!
Carrie Chance
March 5, 2018 - 3:43 pmI definitely try to eat fresh and local when possible. Here in Ohio it gets a bit tougher over the Winter but I always get excited when produce starts growing here again. Those veggies look great. I don’t like radishes but looking at those pictures (almost) makes me want some
Alicia Taylor
March 6, 2018 - 9:21 amWhen I lived in Minnesota, I felt the same way. The ground was coated with several feet of snow year-round. I hadn’t ever tried radishes on anything but a salad, but I just sliced these and ate them with ranch dip. They were pretty good.
Lois
March 5, 2018 - 2:01 pmWow, those veggies look so fresh and colorful! It’s great when you can actual eat local produce – it’s so much more flavorful and healthy.
Deborah Dennert
March 5, 2018 - 12:48 pmI love shopping local for fruits and veggies. Not only is there a big difference in color and taste but everything lasts much longer.
Ruth I.
March 5, 2018 - 6:56 amFresh produce is so much better! Not only you are helping small business and farmers but it more healthier.
Mhaan
March 4, 2018 - 8:09 pmThey look so fresh! My family and I also love visiting local market for fresh finds. Thanks for sharing dear!
Kelly
March 4, 2018 - 7:56 pmI love to buy and work with seasonal produce whenever I get the chance. I would love to be in Florida where you have access to so much!
Crystal Gareau
March 3, 2018 - 5:45 pmI try to buy locally as often as possible. It’s important to show local support.
Heather Barber McMechan
March 2, 2018 - 1:49 pmThis is one of the reasons I LOVE living in South Florida. So many farms to explore with a variety of options. Fresh fruit is a big thing over here, and a hit in our home 🙂
Alicia Taylor
March 3, 2018 - 7:26 amI live in the panhandle and we are surrounded by farms 🙂 All of my neighbors are farmers. Fresh vegetables, fresh fruit – the whole 9 yards. It’s a great place to be 🙂
Rose Mont
March 2, 2018 - 8:49 amI try to eat local here. Some of our grocery stores also post local produce too. However when I’m in Florida I definitely indulge on the oranges and my mom likes the strawberries more then from her original home of NY.
Alicia Taylor
March 2, 2018 - 10:25 amYes! Fresh fruit is amazing 🙂 I love living in Florida because we always have something growing in season.
Rashida
March 2, 2018 - 6:48 amI miss living in Florida for their fresh produce. It is always so fresh and affordable. Farmers markets are surprisingly expensive though! Great post!
miljance93mommysup
March 2, 2018 - 1:49 amI am always for organic and fresh! There aren’t much in the city I live in…
Tara
March 2, 2018 - 1:16 amfinding local farmers is one of my absolute favorites! I love farmers markets for that reason!
Dia Darling
March 1, 2018 - 11:09 pmYou’ve inspired me! There is a farmers market literally walking distance from my place every weekend. When I go to run errands I always see it and say I want to stop one day but never do. This weekend I think I’ll stop by.
Alicia Taylor
March 2, 2018 - 10:26 amI hope you find something wonderful!
Betty
March 1, 2018 - 10:49 pmVeggies make the best snacks. They’re so healthy you don’t feel guilty
Jennifer Prince
March 1, 2018 - 9:58 pmI love fresh veggies and definitely care where my produce comes from. Florida is a great, consistent place to have them because it’s so warm there mostly year round. Yay for healthy foods! 🙂
Alicia Taylor
March 2, 2018 - 10:27 amIt is a very hospital veggie environment.
Courtney
March 1, 2018 - 9:34 pmYummm! This made me hungry for some healthy snacks 🙂 I love sourcing local, natural, in season fruit and vege as it’s cheaper for one, and supports the local economy! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Daria Gora
March 1, 2018 - 7:09 pmIt is very important to eat fresh and local, especially fruits and veggies.
Tiffany
March 1, 2018 - 4:54 pmOne of my favorite things to do is go to the farmer’s market. I love picking up fresh produce and keeping it local.
Emily Fata
March 1, 2018 - 4:29 pmI’m a firm believer in eating locally! I always try to buy Ontario produce and even better, I try get food straight from the farms not far from my house, including farm fresh eggs! There’s such a difference in quality, and I love being able to support the local economy and local businesses. 🙂
Kathy
March 1, 2018 - 4:00 pmI love having great produce. I wish we had a place like this around here. It’s nice to be able to pick out some great produce at stores like these.
Kelly
March 1, 2018 - 3:28 pmI love this post! Locally produce food is the best and so beneficial, environmentally, socially and economically. Thanks for spreading the word that fresh is best 😀
trinaellen
March 1, 2018 - 2:12 pmThis is one of the best parts of living in Florida, we have so much fresh produce! I remember when I first moved down, I was shocked at how big and fresh a lot of the fruit was compared to back in Boston.
Elizabeth O
March 1, 2018 - 12:38 pmIs there anything better than delicious fresh produce. I am looking forward to summer salads!
Holly Lasha
March 1, 2018 - 12:27 pmThese look amazing. I love fresh produce!!! We have such crummy options where I live!
Megan
March 1, 2018 - 9:10 amYummm! There are few better feelings than picking out and cooking with fresh produce. This looks too good! 🙂
Esme Sy
March 1, 2018 - 7:40 amNow this makes me want to go on a veggie weekend. We have the same fresh market produce locally but Florida’s products seem so much better, or at least I think they are!
Mary Jingjing Mortos Lopez
March 1, 2018 - 1:00 amfarmers market is one of my places to go to. I love the fresh produce vegetables and fruits.
lucicoo
February 28, 2018 - 11:14 pmI always like to look for local produce vegetables and fruit and even honey. I have a strawberry farm not that far away from me and I can’t wait for them to come into season.