Eat Local: The Harvest Market and Bluegrass Festival in Travelers Rest

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One of my favorite things about living in South Carolina, specifically Greenville, is the access we have to fresh and locally grown foods. These local foods are easily accessible through venues like the Travelers Rest Farmers Market.

Every Thursday in October Travelers Rest celebrates Fall with The Harvest Market and Bluegrass Festival in Trailblazers Park. The Market features over 40 local farm and product vendors, food trucks, and live Bluegrass music. Overall it's a great way to get out and enjoy the fall weather and embrace the Travelers Rest community.

Being a foodie, I decided that I couldn't miss an opportunity to experience this farmers market. The Festival only lasts for the month of October so that means only 4 Thursdays to enjoy it all- so I better not pass it up!

From the first moment  I entered the market, there was a sense of energy in the air. With the Bluegrass Music echoing throughout the venue and children running around, there was an overwhelming sense of community.

I decided to go through the Market Pavillion first to see everything that the vendors had to offer. There was such a variety of items being sold, everything from organic local honey to homemade soap, collard greens to whole chickens. All of the products were all either grown, baked, or artfully crafted locally around Greenville and Travelers Rest.

After I had filled my grocery bag to the brim with fresh eggs, bread, cheese, honey, soap, a bouquet and so many other goodies I decided it was time to eat. All of that shopping local definitely caused me to work up an appetite. One of the great services that the Market offers is the "Veggie Vallet." The "Veggie Vallet" allows you to refrigerate your produce and other products while you enjoy the food trucks to ensure that they stay fresh.

A little boy and his Mom wait in line anxiously for their Automatic Tacos

Last on my market check-list was eat dinner. Every week the market offers various different food trucks with a wide variety of cuisines. Some trucks are native to Greenville while others travel all the way from Charlotte for this great fall social event. Luckily for me Automatic Taco, Dan the Pig Man,  Upcountry Provisions, and The Streatery were all there to calm my rumbling tummy.

Oh and don't let me forget dessert ! I topped off my night with a homemade, hand-churned, chocolate icecream The Chillwagon!

Homemade Chocolate Icecream from The Chillwagon

Overall my little adventure to the farmers market was a great experience. I loved being able to get to know the vendors and ask them about their products and how they were made or grown. It truly was a great community event full of food, friends, family and fun, and what's better than getting to support all things local!

Credits: Photos - Phebe Huth// Video - Phebe Huth

Eat Local: American Grocery Resturant

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One of my favorite things about living in South Carolina, specifically Greenville, is the amazing restaurants we have! Over the past few years, Downtown Greenville has turned into a thriving foodie hot spot.

It is filled with amazing restaurants, incredibly talented chefs, and tons of yummy food! Greenville also is lucky enough to have access to many regional farms, which provide various opportunities for one to purchase locally grown foods at Farmers Markets, in CSA programs and even in the grocery store.

Even though I love going to the Farmers Market and cooking meals at home, sometimes you just don't have the energy to do it all. But if you are like me and still strive to eat local, lucky you because Greenville offers many restaurants who menus display products that you would pick up locally yourself.

One of my absolute favorites is American Grocery!

The American Grocery Restaurant or AGR was started by Joe and Darlene Clark in 2007. But what makes AGR so special is that its menu changes every day! The menu depends on what is brought through the back door that day!

American Grocery is known for their unique menu that caters their meals to what is in season during that time.

The American Grocery provides its guests with many amazing vendors from all over Greenville and the Greater area. Your food will never travel far to get to your plate. 

Joe, the head chef relies on fresh and local produce and meat from farmers and vendors around the Greenville area.Each ingredient is expertly crafted into a fantastic meal, a meal that highlights each food item in a special way. While provided solely local food can be a bit more expensive, Owners Joe and Darlene believe that it is all about the experience a guest gains during their visit to AGR, and it is a price that is necessary for to carry out their philosophy.

At the end of your visit to AGR, you are provided with a grocery list that shows you the location of where every product you ate that night was grown or raised. Chef Joe says that it is the transparency of the ingredients used in his restaurant that completes the experience.

Credits : Photos - American Grocery Restaurant// Infographic - Phebe Huth

Why Eat and Buy Locally Sourced Foods?

Over the past few years, there have been many movements to improve our lifestyle choices to better our health. Iconic role models such as Michelle Obama have created programs to educate people on eating well and getting active. While all of these programs are amazing with all of the resources they offer, I think it can sometimes be too much for some people to digest. So I decided to break down the reasons why you should eat locally and answer any possible question you may have about "going local."

What does eating local mean?

Eating locally means consuming food products that have been grown around you. Local foods are often harvested on smaller farms and the product is often transported over shorter geographic distances. Because of these smaller farms, the products are sold directly to the consumer - no middle man needed.

Where do I find locally sourced food and products?

Local Farmers Market.

• At a farmers market, farmers transport their own products from their farms and sell them directly to the consumer. In this case, you can be sure these products are fresh and local.
  • Local markets around Greenville 

Local Children Attending the Opening of the Annual Travelers Rest Farmers Market.

CSA Programs

•  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, such programs like these give consumers direct products from a local farm each week or month.

Local Restaurants and Grocers

• The last option which may be the easiest for people/ families with a busy lifestyle is picking up local produce at your own grocery store. Many stores will receive products directly from farmers daily or weekly. Another option is Greenville has many  restaurants that serve local produce and products on their menus. So if you're feeling lazy and don't want to cook head downtown!

What are the benefits of eating local?

1. You are supporting your local economy
2. Reduces the amount of energy required to transport the food, so it helps the environment. Leaving less of a carbon footprint.
3. It encourages community involvement and relationships, you can actually talk to the farmers that grow your food.
4. By eating local you are eating seasonally, which can help avoid artificial ripeners as well as other chemicals that are used to grow food out of season.
5. It helps preserve green space. If we eat local we will preserve our farms around us.
6. Local foods have more nutrients because there is a shorter amount of time from when the products are picked to when it is sold.

I hope after learning all about eating local you will actually realize how simple it is to do. I hope you realize the amazing benefits you and your community receive from eating locally. I also hope you will consider changing your lifestyle and your families to incorporate locally grown food.

Grub on!

- Phebe