Local to Savannah, GA
Markets with Organics:
The Market at Trustees Garden: [As of April 7, 2010- Still no word about when it will open for the season.]
Every Wednesday 4-7pm! My husband goes every week to pick up extra eggs from Adcote Acres, the best cheese in Savannah from Thrive Cafe and produce I’m running low on. In addition to foods, they allow local craftsmen and women to come and sell items they make themselves; items such as soy candles, custom designed jewelery, items for the house and home, clothing and more. They also often have guest speakers, musicians and outdoor Yoga. Check out their site for information on upcoming events.
Some of the participating farms:
- Trustees’ Organic Garden Savannah, GA
- Avondale Organic Farm Savannah, GA
- Clark and Sons Organics Twin City, GA
- Thrive Cafe Savannah, GA
- Adcote Acres Sylvania, GA
- Oaktree Farm Jacksonville, GA
- HoneyDew Farm Statesboro, GA
… and more
April 10th through November 20th 2010
9:00 am to 1:00 pm
South End of Forsyth Park
(Between the basketball and tennis courts)
Once known as the Starland Market…is organized by the Savannah Local Food Collaborative and is now located in beautiful Forsyth Park every Saturday from 9am-1pm, until November 20th. In season, my husband and I try go nearly every Saturday to get the bulk of our eggs, produce and little odds and ends. This market focuses mostly on foods only. A lovely feature here…EBT accepted and EBT dollars double their value while program lasts! Click here to check out the flyer!
They also have the “Second Saturdays” – Health pavilion (see Health Pavilion Schedule for details) featuring free health, nutrition, and gardening lectures and workshops.
Interested in joining the Community garden network? They have meetings every second Saturday at the market.
Some of the 2009 participating farms:
- Adcote Acres/ Farm Fresh Eggs — Sylvania, GA
- Clark and Sons Organics — Twin City, GA (coming soon)
- Eddie Ellis — Jacksonville, FL
- The Greenhouse at Savannah High
- Helen Fields — SC
- Hampton Island — Liberty County, GA
- Hendrix Brothers Produce — Register, GA
- HoneyDew Farm — Statesboro, GA
- Mary Curley — the Savannah Herb Lady*
- Thrive Cafe – Savannah, GA
- Monts Farm — Jacksonville, Fl
- Oaktree Farm — Jacksonville, GA
- The Vegetable Merchant / Vidalia Onion Man — Lyons, GA
- Walker Farms — Sylvania, GA
Additional Organic Farms in the general area:
Heritage Organic Farms is located at 485 Scuffletown Road Guyton, Georgia 31312. You can reach them by clicking their name and going to their FaceBook page or by calling 912-728-3708. I myself, do not use them. They are a bit out of my range for I purchase my produce twice a week. But you should certainly check them out yourself. They are about an hour north-west of Savannah [I checked my map 
] and from what I’m told of from friends and accquaintences, quite a lovely farm with a wide range of items.
Restaurants and Cafes serving Organic Foods:
Cha bella has to be one of my all time favorite restaurants in Savannah. In addition to their amazing menu they have events throughout the week that you don’t want to miss. Their outdoor patio is splendid and I always leave feeling relaxed, guiltless and feeling a little extra special cuz I just went to Cha bella. They have their own small farm near the restaurant that all the staff work. The greater majority of the produce and herbs you eat came from the farm that day. You can even see them go out to the patio garden and pick herbs for meals about to be served. So Fresh!
I’ve been to Ele only once but boy did it make an impression on me. It opened earlier this spring and has been packed since. “This restaurant is like nothing else in Savannah. Like any artistic creation, great cuisine comes from the heart and is fueled by passion. At its best, it offers a feast for the senses that thrills and delights. Sean and Elê have reinvented traditional Asian cuisine, using local ingredients and streamlined American techniques. They’ve mastered the art of creating a harmonious palette of flavors that has brought this restaurant to the forefront of evolving Asian American fare. The menu at Elê reflects a thoughtful marriage of ingredients, rather than the slapdash mixture of seasonings typical of much fusion cooking today.” The atmosphere is high class dining and you no longer feel like you are in Savannah once you walk through the doors. Certainly a great place to impress a date or to celebrate a special night.
Sentient Bean is another big fave of mine. Located on Park St. along the south end of Forsyth Park, Sentient Bean is a GREAT place to go and hang out, have some terrific coffee or amazing tea with a fresh baked goody, and oh my, their paninis are super yummy. I’ve been a visitor since I first arrived in Savannah back in 2002. I usually see three or four people I know hanging out here and the night time entertainment is so varied. My ultimate nights here are still the Puppet People performances-and the film nights are a hoot as well.
Thrive is now officially Savannah’s first Green Certified Restaurant. in 2009 this cafe quickly became a fave. They are a carry out cafe that uses local organic foods in their gourmet dishes. They torment me with their daily dinner menus—drool. I love what they’re doing with the community and they’re making a great name for themselves. They’re located out on Whietmarsh Island, so I do not get to the ‘cafe’ very often, but they do bring items to the Forsyth Farmers Market on Saturdays!
Store hours are M-F 11am-8pm; Sat 11-6pm; Sun closed
Thrive, 4700 Highway 80 East, 912.898.2131, www.thriveacarryoutcafe.com
Earlier this year they announced the launch of Thrive Thru! We are distributing their healthy sandwiches, soups, baked goodies, for sale in other locations like T-Dot Cafe (1813 Bull St) and Savannah Market (Victory and Abercorn).
Caraway is right down the road from me and I would visit them often in the morning for coffee and a quick breakfast bite when I was working the daily grind. They serve breakfast and unique lunches at very reasonable prices. They also have a great newsletter that comes from the chef/owner. She’s always giving fantastic recipes and tips on making entertaining easier. Recently they started preparing organic produce baskets for sale for those that can’t get to the local markets. I’m glad to see they’re still going strong.
Papillote-French Cuisine to Go
I finally had the opportunity visit Papillote recently and boy have I been missing out! They opened Feb of 2009 and I walk past the place often, but had never been at a point where I can go in and check them out. It was as lovely as it looks lovely and the menu is just yummy! What I particularly love is that the menu is very unique compared to other cafes in Savannah. If I want something out of the ordinary for downtown and full of flavor, I’m heading to Papillote. Not everything is organic and local…and be prepared to eat some sort of French pastry breading [it's in nearly everything]. I can’t wait to go back and try one of their deserts. If you are like me and constantly say, boy I need to try that place sometime…Do it!
People forget that Brighter Day has a Deli and Juice Bar in the back. I’ve had a few wraps and juices here…always yummy always fresh. The menu changes nearly daily and they’re only open certain hours..but if you’re out at the park and want something a little extra special, pop by. You won’t be disappointed.
Stores offering Organic Foods:
Brighter Day is on Park St. along the south end of Forsyth Park. It has the widest variety in town for a store of fresh produce, standard and special cooking supplies, supplements, beauty products and reading material. I visit nearly every week. Their website is also an excellent resource for all topics of living a natural, clean life style. Check it out sometime!
Fresh Market: Yes, Fresh Market has a wide variety of items…but it is expensive and I find that the produce goes bad quicker than anywhere else. It gets very liquidy as if it has been frozen…and some fresh items are “frozen” on the ends when I purchase them. We tried using them numerous times with the same results-so I stopped buying produce from them. Now I only purchase specialty items and when short on time, side dishes from the deli for pot-lucks.
Kroger: The Kroger on Mall Blvd seems to have the second most selection of produce and dried/packaged goods for a “grocery store” but the selection is still limited. They are my backup to Brighter Day.
Publix: The stores in Savannah have a very minimum selection of fresh items, but do have the typical range of dried/packaged goods. I rarely go to Publix for anything specific.
