If you think good things only come in small packages – think again. The Crown Jewel of health and happiness resides in a swath of citified country at Old School Square.
Called The Delray Green Market, it’s more a lifestyle of riches than merely a place to pick up fresh veggies or cheese. It’s a place where families wait for cinnamon twists to come out of the oven and fresh produce is hauled from local farms to Delray Beach.
If you ask Lori Johnson, the mastermind of this 30-year-old Green Market, she will tell you that the Delray Green Market is its own ecosystem. It’s a place where you can find both prepared foods and fresh ingredients to make quality dishes at home.
What makes the market so great is the devoted vendors, the customers and the vital community support. Every Saturday morning at 4am Johnson (and her staff) do the setup and closing work until 4pm.
“It’s a 12-hour day,” said Johnson, who celebrates 26 years as the head honcho of this beautiful conglomeration of simplicity and sacredness. Her set-up sidekick (and lead volunteer) is David Harvell, a Boynton native and former city manager in North Carolina and Kentucky.
But those 12- hour days preceding the Delray Green Market lead to a cacophony of bliss and brilliance. The day is punctuated by vendors selling everything from fresh locally grown mushrooms (from Gratitude Garden) to fresh gourmet Pasta from Pasta Amore. There are gluten free, organic, and locally grown products that elude large chain stores and grocery emporiums.
It is perhaps this glory that glorifies the human experience you feel at the Delray Green Market. It’s not just the gourmet sea salt, but also the live music, the camaraderie, and the sweet, steady embrace of living in the moment.
And, that moment is carefree and comfortable for everyone. That’s why people of all ages gravitate to this creation of calm under the sun. It’s like a vacation that needs no room key or clothing change.
Johnson is not immune to this sweet noncaloric beverage of life. “Last Saturday I saw a couple pull out a blanket and bask in the sun. I also saw people in their 80’s dancing in front of the music tent. When I see that it warms my heart and soul.”
This sweetness and innocence combined with vendors such as Captain Clay & Sons fresh Seafood and Jerry’s farm Fresh produce make the Green Market the perfect place to go Saturday’s from 9 am to 2pm.
There are 75 vendors that have everything from oils and creams for whatever ails you to herbal teas from Keha Wellness and gluten-free and homemade breads everywhere. Aside from commerce and cooking fiesta is a subculture of grace. There are musicians who sing and play guitar while guests of all ages enjoy the movement and motion of live music. “Don’t worry about a thing, because every little thing gonna be alright,” belted out singer Brian Dean.
And it was.
This weekly ritual is like a neighborhood reunion, a reminder that community still exists in real time, face to face, beneath the Florida sun. It’s the unique chance to get away from the keyboard and iPhones and enjoy Mother Nature’s creation.
Johnson does not take that for granted. “We have the most amazing vendors and customers. That is what makes the market so special. I put it together every Saturday, but it’s not about me.”
To those who know Johnson, they would tend to disagree. The pedigree and persistence of her presence is what has kept the Delray Green Market running like a well-tuned Stradivarius.
When she started working at the Green Market they were in the parking lot of the CRA. “When it started in 1996, Delray was a sleepy town, so I started adding events to bring people downtown.”
But downtown Delray is now a vibrant city. That’s why Johnson brings a chef (to the market) once a month to do cooking demonstrations with food products purchased from the market. Small plates and recipes are given out for tasting from 10am to noon.
“Our chef teaches people how to cook what we sell at the market, a lot of people don’t know how to prepare some of our exotic fruits and veggies.”
Prepared food is also available from a variety of vendors (come hungry). If you love gourmet French cheese, see La Montagne Des Saveurs or try the fresh breads and jams from every direction.
The entire market is a success story and has been an economic driver for the area. Vendors source from each other and are enriched by the activity and purchase power at the market
But as luck would have it, most Saturday afternoons in Delray are idyllic and magical. The Delray Green Market is there to be the dreamcatcher of all this magic. So come see it for yourself.
Thank you, Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, for making this all happen!
DELRAY BEACH GREENMARKET
95 NE 1st Avenue
Downtown Delray Beach
