Discover

Although the Downtown Fort Myers Farmers Market lasts a mere six-and-one-half hours, serious cooks and foodies make a point to work a visit into their busy schedules.

The weekly ritual starts just after dawn, when a dozen or so vendors pull in, laden with wares they will sell from stalls clustered on the edge of Centennial Park along First Street.

Barbara Frush, aka The Herbal Gourmet, carries all manner of natural and organic products she either makes herself or imports from around the world: purple sticky rice and rainbow orzo, dried morels and green-tea soba noodles, fresh herbs, plump Turkish figs and apricots packed neatly in plastic containers, and imported cheeses in a cooler.

Produce vendors carry an impressive mix of fresh fruits and vegetables, including hard-to-find items such as miniature zucchini and white eggplants and bargain-priced seasonal items including mangoes and lychees.

One of the best deals is a bunch of flowers from Al, The Flower Guy. His booth stands behind a profusion of water-filled pails full of bunches of alstroemeria, carnations, Gerber daisies and roses. Most are two bunches for $5.

Fans of local author Randy Wayne White can jump-start their taste buds with bottles of his Amazon hot sauces available at Wanda Ervin's stand.

The modest size of the market makes for a quick trip that provides tasteful treats long after the merchants have departed.

-- The Downtown Fort Myers Farmers Market, at Centennial Park under the Caloosahatchee Bridge in Fort Myers, is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays.