College Park Farmers' Market

Since my friend and I had success at last week's Audubon Park Community Market we thought we'd stop by the College Park Farmers' Market on Thursday evening.

Set in the front parking lot at Infusion Tea (which is a great spot for veg eating) along Edgewater Drive, the market is a bit smaller than some of the others I've been to and had many of the same vendors I saw at the previous market. That was okay, though, because this time I swung by the Heart of Christmas Farms table and purchased a 5 oz. bag of spinach and arugula blend for $3.50 (that's it above with my ever-growing collection of Vegetarian Times).

Located east of Orlando in Christmas, the farm grows organic hydroponic fruits and vegetables. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil, according to Wikipedia. And apparently it offers plenty of eco-friendly benefits, too. For instance, pesticides and herbicides can be eliminated, and the water system can be recycled and measured precisely for minimum waste.

Afterwards the two of us dined at Paxia just up the road. It was my first time at the Mexican restaurant and I thought it was tasty. The guacamole is yummy, by the way.  Something for vegetarian diners to know, the black beans are vegetarian! The rice is not (it's made with chicken stock).

The Nitty Gritty
What: College Park Farmers' Market
When: Thursday, 5 to 9 pm
Where: Infusion Tea, 1600 Edgewater Dr., Orlando, FL 32804
Site: http://www.infusionorlando.com/ 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Orlando-FL/College-Park-Farmers-Market/330587853090


More
Paxia: http://www.paxiarestaurant.com/
Heart of Christmas Farms: http://www.hocfarms.com/

Sustainability on UCF's Campus

I recently received my newest issue of Pegasus, the University of Central Florida's Alumni Association magazine, and read about how UCF's Dining Services is making great strides to implement environmentally-friendly practices like reducing waste and saving energy. This is great news for the school's more than 50,000 students, faculty, and staff.

Some of the significant changes include:

• Offering Fair Trade and USDA organic coffee 

• Trayless dining to conserve water and energy used to heat the water

• Buying local and seasonal produce when available
• Reusable coffee mug program
• Reusable To-Go Box Program potentially saving about 12,600 Styrofoam containers in use per month from entering landfills
• Implementing Behind-the-Counter Employee Recycling Programs
• Creating environmental awareness through sustainability events like “RecycleMania” 10-week nationwide university recycling competition, and “Dine in the Dark” energy conservation night at Knightro's

Bravo to UCF for putting into effect these and many other sustainable practices throughout the campus. 

And check out these links for more information about the college's green programs.

ucfdining.com/sustainability

sustainable.ucf.edu

Blog Breakdown

Before I get too far into this I want to explain a little more about the intentions of this blog. Look at it as your guide for ways to live responsibly in Orlando.

While I will be sharing first-person accounts, my main goal for each post is to provide useful information about good things going on in Orlando that match the kind of lifestyle I try to live. This means I'll be discussing topics like places to get tasty veg-friendly eats, companies and products with eco-conscious and green practices, and charitable organizations that are helping the community. And, since I tend to cook a lot I will also be sharing the occasional vegetarian recipe that is easy to make.

I should clarify that I am not a holier-than-thou extremist when it comes to all of these topics. And I'm not here to bash anyone for their lifestyle. There are things I do daily that do not jibe with the ideals I have stated (ie: I drive a car that uses gas, I buy food that has been shipped from other countries, etc.). However, I do try very hard to make mindful decisions to do things where I can to make an impact ... even it is a small impact.

So with all that said, I hope Happy-Go-Veggie will be a resource for all the green-minded things that are making Orlando a great place to live.

I encourage any tips, ideas, and places that are worth checking out so that I can post them here. You can email happygoveg@gmail.com to let me know.

Audubon Park Community Market

It's pretty amazing how the farmers' market trend has exploded within the last year. Not only have they popped up in towns big and small across the country, but right here in Orlando it seems that just about every community has its very own farmers' market.

I haven't been to all of them here, but it makes me happy to know that people in our community are striving to support sustainability and the locavore movement. Clearly, I can't do all of my shopping at the various farmers' markets, but I'm certainly willing to pay for quality items where I can.

With that said, I finally made my way to the Audubon Park Community Market for my first time this past Monday. Most markets are Saturday or Sunday mornings, so I just never think to go on a Monday night. But since a friend invited me along, it was my chance to finally check it out.

With tents situated in the parking lot at Stardust Video and Coffee, the market has a very intimate and bohemian feel. While a group of musicians were tuning up, market-goers strolled around sampling, buying, talking, and hanging out. And the best part is everything at this particular market is made or grown locally.

I ended up coming away with a half-dozen eggs ($2.50) from Lake Meadow Naturals farm in Ocoee and a wedge of cheese ($5.75) from the Winter Park Dairy. My friend also purchased eggs and a tomato plant ($4). For us it was a successful first visit... and I'll certainly be going back.

The Nitty-Gritty
What: Audubon Park Community Market
When: Mondays, 6 to 10 pm
Where: Stardust Video and Coffee, 1842 E. Winter Park Road, Orlando
Site: http://www.audubonparkmarket.com/

Two Years and Counting

This August marked my two-year anniversary of being a vegetarian. I try not to be preachy about my food choices, but I am passionate about what I eat ... or don't eat, for that matter.

I've started Happy-Go-Veggie as a resource for anyone remotely interested in anything related to topics like meat-free eating, being eco-friendly, and living mindfully & responsibly. There are plenty of amazing blogs already out there, including many wonderful vegetarian and vegan ones to boot. But, since Orlando is my home base, the majority of my focus will revolve around the veg/eco movement in Central Florida.

I know there is hunger all over this world and not everyone has the option to turn food away, so I feel fortunate to live in a society where we have this privilege. Attempting to live a conscious lifestyle has also become increasingly important for me, something that will likely continue to evolve as I learn and grow.

While I will be writing opinions, reviews, experiences, recipes, etc., this blog is for the readers. It's a chance to merge all the information about these topics surrounding my vegetarian lifestyle in hopes that it will be useful to others. And since I love seeing photos on blogs, I'm going to do my best to post pictures with each post (disclaimer: I'm not a photographer, so don't get your hopes up).

So, let's get started.