Now this is what I’ve been hoping for since the start of the Hyde Park Fresh Market, and thanks to the immense popularity of the Market and the many vendors who would like to join the party, it’s about to become bigger, better and more pedestrian friendly. Starting with the October Fresh Market this Sunday (always the first Sunday of the month) you’ll be able to shop more, visit with more vendors and not worry about traffic. Here’s what Marketing Director Jocelyn Brenner had to tell Kelly’s Kitchen: “Shoppers have been asking for more vendors for a while now and there’s also been a waiting list for vendors, but we were maxed out on space.  Closing the street was really the next step,” says Jocelyn Brenner, Marketing Director for Hyde Park Village.  “Shoppers can stroll freely through the streets without worrying about traffic and our merchant storefronts will now be more visible to shoppers.”

   According to Brenner, the 2012-2013 Fresh Market season will welcome a diverse group of local produce and farm vendors, including Park Hydro Farms, featuring high-quality local hydroponic produce; Chicken coops from Holloway’s Feed Store; Bob & Daughter, the market’s largest produce vendor, providing a mixture of local and imported produce; Tampa Bay Organics Fitness and Health providing local, organic and soy-free eggs from their Seffner farm; Natural Goodness Farm providing organic sprouts and coconuts; R&S Herbs featuring a large variety of fresh herbs and plants grown in Lakeland; Whitwam Organics offering organic fertilizer and growing towers; and, Truck Farm Tampa and Fit Kids Playground providing locally farmed produce from the truck, gardening tips, tools and education.

  Stop down and let us know what you think about the new layout and send along some pictures too! I’ll look for those at ann.kelly@coxinc.com. The Hyde Park Fresh Market is the official sponsor of Kelly’s Kitchen.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN

Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week - Joseph Addison