I spent the 2007-2008 winter in Florida. That's where I found out about BlogTalkRadio and wrote a few travel pieces that I used on my second and third "Gene On The Scene" BlogTalkRadio shows. Today I'll talk about the Daytona Beach Flea Market, which I did on Friday, July 18th, 2008, but wrote about the previous February:
February! In Daytona Beach! Far from the cold, the snow, and the ice north of here! And it's really sunny and toasty today. This city is full of people for the Daytona 500 races at the Daytona International Speedway. I'm staying at a hotel only a block away. From my hotel room, I can hear the cars on the Speedway practicing for the main events. Boy, are they loud!
But as for attending the races, am I interested in spending that kind of money for all that? It's forty dollars a parking space just on the street. And a few hundred to get in. No! I want to spend my money for something far more interesting.
I came to Florida to find REAL Florida oranges just off the tree. Not the dyed oranges you find in northern stores. So where do the local people go if they don't own an orange tree? I know that some own orange trees because I've met them.
That's right! They go to the Daytona Beach Flea Market, where the local farmers bring their produce to sell. They're just picked for this, including various kinds of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and lemons. I just bought two quarter bushel bags of ruby red grapefruit just picked. Ten in each bag. Twenty total. $5.50 for each bag or ten bucks for both, which saves a whole dollar.
Now I'm looking at all manner of oranges and tangerines. I'll buy a few of each. But wait! Those giant fruits I thought were superbig, enormous grapefruit turn out to be-LEMONS? YES! That's what the clerk tells me when I'm asking where the locally grown lemons are. He says "Those aren't grapefruit. Those are Ponderosa Lemons-our locally grown lemons!" I've never seen lemons this big! Each is about the size of three or four average sized lemons. I buy nine of them for seven and a half dollars. Later, I find out that one lemon will last me a couple of days and tastes the same as a regular lemon. Can you imagine what a Ponderosa lemon tree must look like?
And that's not all that's big there. The cabbages are huge-and so are the bunches of kale. Either of which would fill up the front seat of the average car. It did mine!
Next is the honey. Comb honey is more plentiful here in Florida-and it's orange blossom comb honey! As for orange blossom liquid honey, they sell it in gallons here, and it smells delicious. I buy all I want for my travels to other parts of Florida. I plan a lot of good eating in the weeks ahead. Which I do.
