Every Saturday morning at 66th street and Biscayne blvd, at the gate of Legion Park, a small farmers market is thriving even through the hottest months of our Miami summer. Urban Oasis Project is certainly the center of attention, with a colorful display of South Florida’s rarest tropical fruit and heat loving vegetables like okra, peppers and calaloo. Sometimes I bring my eggs to the Urban Oasis booth and always find things to bring home in exchange. Weekly favorites are oyster mushrooms, dragon fruit and Proper Sausages. This week I also picked up okra for a quiche.
Many things make this market special and unique within Miami’s usual market scene. First and foremost is the local produce; Urban Oasis Project really puts their money where their mouth is. Even if you have to drive a bit out of your way, if you want to shop local this is where you need to go. The crowd at this market is clearly made up of neighborhood folks, everyone knows each other, their kids and their dogs. There are stories and greetings being exchanged left and right. I hear customers greeting vendors like friends, sharing what they prepared with their products last weekend, asking for specific flavors and discussing the production of certain crops or meats.
The market is nestled at the entrance of Legion Park, one of my favorites in this part of town. As a back drop to the market, the park stretches out in a long and narrow shape to the bay, with a straight path leading down the middle of what feels like an old oak forest. A large group of people are doing yoga in the shade, kids are playing in the playground, couples are jogging and working out on the exercise track and the dog area is a hot bed of excitement.
It is truly an ideal Saturday morning scenario and I’m so happy to be a part of it!
Thank you for sharing, what time does it go until?
it ends at 2pm
couldn’t agree more! One last detail: if you go by car there is plenty of parking in the back, you can then stroll through the park toward the market, a short pleasant walk.
Great feature! Thanks for your support of the market!
One question: how’d you get the camera-shy Miss Shirley to pose for a photo?
By the way the cuckoo marans and 2 andalusian chicks were readily adopted by my broody hen, and are getting big! They follow her around the yard all day with the other hens, as she teaches them the ways of the world. We pick them up every day and rub their heads so they will be very tame, and their breeds are already docile. Very happy with them!