The local produce sellers

On a recent visit to St. John, U.S.V.I., my mom and I stopped at our favorite local fruit and vegetable stand in downtown Cruz Bay. My parents eloped on the island in the 1970’s and my mom tells me that scenes like this used to be much more common, and going marketing was one of her favorite things to do. With the rise of supermarkets on the island, and even abroad, its hard to find individual produce sellers anymore, unless you are lucky to live near a farmers market. 

Here are a highlight of things we found for sale at the market, at the time of our visit. Locally made hot sauce, coconut oil, and honey in varying sized bottles that had been reused from their original purpose. Collected and dried star anise seeds, beautiful cinnamon sticks fresh from the tree, dried sorrel blossoms and fresh nutmeg still in the shell! Colorful hot peppers, papayas, starfruit, avocados, and fresh turmeric (curcurma) were also readily available. 

The owner of the market starts her day at 5:30am to catch the ferry over from the neighboring island of St. Thomas, and collect her produce and set up for her day. I have a huge respect for this woman, and all the others who still sell at markets. In the dulling environment of duty free, cheap tourist gimmicks and obnoxious party scenes that modern day travelers experience when they go abroad, finding little gems like this market make us remember what it was that inspired generations to travel around the world in the first place. It was to find that authentic thing, i.e.. place, business, people, item, that represented the country we chose to buy a ticket to and explore. For me, places like this is why I am most excited about helping my parents re-write their series of guidebooks to the Virgin Islands, because I not only love finding these places, but I love sharing them with everyone so they will stay in business for future generations to enjoy. If you are planning to visit the island, our book is called St. John, On Foot & By Car and is for the travelers who enjoy being off the beaten path. 

* Future visitors to the island can find her stand in front of Connections Communications Center. She sells everyday except for Sundays.