We
love farmers’ markets. If you’ve
never been to one we highly recommend it.
It’s so much fun walking down the aisles looking at the gorgeous bounty
of produce and home-baked goodies – even farm-fresh eggs.
So
when we learned about the Public Market Complex in St. John’s, Antigua, we just
had to go. We were curious to see
how it would differ from those we’ve been to at home. The Public Market is located at the intersection of Market
St., Valley Rd., & All Saints Rd.
Across the street are the Antigua Fisheries and the Public Meat Market.
Located
just outside is a massive bronze bust of V.C. Bird the former Prime Minister of
Antigua & Barbuda.
The lively market is filled with noise and excitement; it’s open weekdays, but the best time to visit is Saturday morning when vendors from all over the island appear with local produce. The colors, shapes & sizes are truly tropical! The open-air market is bustling with activity as local residents come to do their shopping.
The
streets around the actual building are lined with tables and carts overflowing
with a variety of fresh and colorful Antiguan fruits and vegetables, specialty
imported canned goods, clothing & crafts as far as the eye can see. Everyone is friendly unless you have a
camera, then they are suspect.
The
most beautiful display we found was a table filled with sorrel. Our taxi driver Hillie told us sorrel is
a dried hibiscus flower used to make a popular Caribbean drink during the
holidays. According to Hillie,
sorrel tea has medicinal qualities and is loved by adults and children
alike. During the holidays, the
adults add rum (what else?) to the tea.
Gorgeous, colorful sorrel
She
was gracious enough to give us her recipe though the measurements aren’t exact. We look forward to trying it. Cheers!
Hillie’s Caribbean Sorrel Tea
1
cup sorrel
1
tsp cloves
1
tbl minced ginger
1
cup simple syrup (1 cup water boiled with 1 sup sugar)
1
tsp orange zest (optional)
dark
rum (optional)
Bring
2 quarts water to a boil. Add
sorrel, cloves and ginger (and optional zest).
Boil
for 30 minutes then remove from heat.
Cover
and steep overnight (or up to 24 hours – it will thicken as it steeps).
Strain
the tea and add the simple syrup.
The consistency will be thick and syrupy.
Chill.
To
serve: for children add club soda
for adults add club soda and rum
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