FARMERS' MARKET BOOM IN SAN JUAN

LA PLACITA EN PLAZA OPENS TODAY

The most popular word in San Juan these days? Forget "refudiate," the answer is "farmers' markets."

The newest market in town opens today at 10 a.m. at Plaza Las Americas with Gov. Luis Fortuño in attendance. It's called La Placita en Plaza and the Agriculture Department says it will be the largest "agricultural market in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean." Consumers trolling Plaza for Christmas gifts can easily stop by the market to stock up on fruits, vegetables, viands, gourmet coffees, meats, as well as other agricultural products such as ornamental plants and herbs.

Then there is the Mercado Agricola Natural del Viejo San Juan, which takes place every Saturday in the courtyard of El Museo de San Juan at 150 Calle Norzagaray in Old San Juan. A showcase for organic farmers, the market runs between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. but make sure not to arrive late because by 1 p.m. the farmers are ready to head back home.

If it's the first Sunday of the month, it's time for the Urban Market at La Placita al Mar in Condado. This is yet another hub for farmers and mostly food-related small businesses to meet up with consumers and introduce a wide variety of products. And let's not forget the colorful Plaza del Mercado at Stop 20 in Santurce and its counterpart in Rio Piedras, typical markets that retain the flavor of old Puerto Rico.

La Placita en Plaza is located on the third floor of the Central Atrium at Plaza Las Américas, across from J.C.Penney. It occupies a 6.000-square-foot space which

Empresas Fonalledas, owners of Plaza Las Americas, made available to the Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture free of charge as part of a mutual alliance. The company also owns other operations, including the Tres Monjitas dairy operation, which explains its interest in agriculture, according to Plaza spokesperson Lorraine Vissepó. She said the company agreed to cede the space to give local farmers a venue in which to present their products to the public. "We had a dress rehearsal in May and the concept was very well liked," she said.

As part of today's inauguration, there will be talks on home gardens, seminars on how to make fruit and vegetable sculptures, sauces, desserts using local fruits, and gourmet cooking demonstrations for the public. More than 100 farm and artisanal products will be available for sale at the market which will continue to operate long after the holidays are over.

But only on the last week-end of each month (Thursday through Sunday). Its hours will be the same hours of the shopping center: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Sunday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This month, La Placita will open a second time: Dec. 23 through 26.

La Placita en Plaza: last week-end of each month (Thursday through Sunday)

Mercado Urbano: first Sunday of each month (next one is December 5)

Mercado Agricola Natural del Viejo San Juan: every Saturday morning.

A SIMPLE TIP Baking soda is a versatile product to have around the kitchen. A little of it mixed into a damp paper towel or sponge and a little scrubbing will easily whiten your dishware. Or you can scrub the sink with it instead of using other less gentle-on-the environment industrial cleansers.

Artwork by Lorraine Blasor

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well. " 

Virginia Woolf

DULY NOTED It seems everybody has them. In fact, 4.6 billion people use mobile phones worldwide; in Puerto Rico, seven out of 10 people use them, according to the Sales and Marketing Executives Association of Puerto Rico. While the jury is still out on the safety of cell phones, results from a number of studies suggest that the radiation emitted by mobile units may increase the risk for cancer and also could cause behavioral problems in children. For information on cell phone radiation and to learn which models are the safest, go to the website of the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org). EWG also offers this advice on how to protect oneself: buy a low-radiation phone; use a headset or speaker; listen more, talk less; hold phone away from your body; text rather than talk; and; limit children's phone use.

Caught our Attention

A new brand of chicken sold at Supermax, the supermarket chain, is not only tasty but is produced by a company that raises and treats the animals in a humane way. Springer Mountain Farms chicken carries the American Humane certification seal, indicating that it "follows the American Humane Association's stringent guidelines to ensure that all of our chickens are free from unnecessary fear and distress, free from hunger and thirst and protected from injury and disease." A company brochure further states that no antibiotics or chemical medicines are administered, there is no animal or poultry products in the feed, and no growth stimulants or hormones are used.

Photograph by Denise Blasor

"Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar (Traveler, there is no road; you make your path as you walk)"  Antonio Machado