Shopping at local farmers markets is one of my favorite Saturday morning rituals—and the foundation for my family’s weekly nutrition. We build meals around what we find, simplifying planning while increasing our nutritional intake (clean, local ingredients preserve more of the food’s beneficial compounds) and supporting local makers in the process.
Since even ‘organic’ certifications don’t always guarantee quality, connecting with producers fosters trust no label can provide. After years of scouring the markets, I’ve found a core group of producers whose growing practices, ingredient transparency and nutritional integrity meet the exacting standards I apply to everything my family consumes.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
jennifer khosla nutritionist at home
Jennifer Khosla brings over a decade of experience bridging clinical nutrition and holistic wellness. With a background in sports medicine and advanced training in functional holistic nutrition, she helps clients optimize their health through evidence-based natural solutions. Each month, she’ll explore practical applications for enhanced well-being in paradise.
Our weekly haul starts with plenty of fresh produce from Third Street Farmers Market’s Mondragon Farm, which stocks the best of the seasonal bounty—strawberries, cucumbers and zucchini in the spring; carrots, tomatoes and bok choy in the fall. After five years in the business, the Arcadia farm, helmed by owner Julio Mondragon, is working to obtain its organic certification (an expensive undertaking that doesn’t always make sense for smaller farms), but they’ve followed the practices since Day One. Everything is non-GMO and pesticide-free, with soil enriched using mulch from reclaimed trees.
I’m also a big advocate for microgreens—tiny, concentrated seedlings that the USDA says are often four to six times more nutritious than their full-grown counterparts. Gulf Coast Microgreens, a newer standout at the downtown market, stocks an extensive selection, from broccoli microgreens to beta carotene-rich cilantro to red cabbage (reported to have 40 times the vitamin E of standard varieties). Served fresh, the greens add herby crispness to salads, wraps and pizzas. Gulf Coast has blends tailored for brain, skin and gut health—and they follow 100% organic practices, so the products are good for the environment’s health, too.
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microgreens at a farmers market stand
Bread gets a bad rap in the nutrition world, but when made with minimal ingredients, it’s more than fair game—particularly, gut-friendly sourdough. I get mine from Landert Bread at Vanderbilt Farmers Market. The Swiss owners don’t make their bread locally but import from trusted partners in Europe, giving their goods a nutritional advantage—the EU’s ingredient regulations are way stricter. Old World bakers are also more apt to follow traditional processes for sourdough, with clean starters and the long fermentation that naturally pre-digests complex carbohydrates and gluten proteins, making the bread gentler on digestion and blood sugar levels. Jürg and Leslie Franz import their products shock-frozen, preserving nutritional value and flavor integrity.
Courtesy Landert Bread
landert bread close up
Every Saturday, Jennifer stocks up at Naples markets. She loves to get nutrient-rich Gulf Coast Microgreens from the Third Street South stall and European-imported sourdough from Landert Bread at the Vanderbilt market (pictured here).
One of the perks of living in Southwest Florida is the year-round access to fresh seafood. LeeBe Fish’s stall sources its grouper, snapper, stone crab and shrimp from the Gulf, using hook-and-line fishing (no nets or long lines) to avoid bycatch. They supplement their bounty partnering with other responsible Gulf fishers. They’ve long sold on Marco Island—at their namesake restaurant and the town’s Sunday market—and since last year, they’re at the Third Street market, too. Farther north, at the Bonita Springs or Fort Myers Farmers Markets, look for the Fishermen’s Daughter. The fourth-generation fisher and poet at the helm turns the regional delicacies her friends and family catch—mullet, blue crab, Key West pink shrimp—into cured filets, bountiful soups and gluten- and dairy-free dips and salads.
To get a dose of (healthy) sweetness, go for Estero-based Southern Hive Honey, found at many area markets. Specializing in raw, single-nectar varieties, owner Jordan Miller offers fully Floridian varieties, like saw palmetto and black mangrove. I’ve spent hours talking to the team about their partnerships with small Florida apiaries and their gravity-filtering process, which preserves honey’s naturally high antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. It’s the only honey we trust for our toddlers. I love incorporating their amber sweeteners for immune support (especially in elderberry tinctures), as an energy boost drizzled atop almond butter toast and any which way to reap its prebiotic benefits.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
cut fruit on the kitchen counter
Jennifer prioritizes locally sourced, responsibly grown food for its higher nutrient retention and health benefits.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
bowl of fresh berries
While Southwest Florida’s farmers markets extend well beyond these staples, these are the producers I find myself returning to for the pleasure of simple, well-sourced ingredients. What began as a quest for clean nutrition has evolved into a deeper connection to the producers who nourish our community. Market shopping also gives us something increasingly rare: complete confidence in what fills our plates each day.