The Urban Canning Company – St. Pete, FL

Lance and I did our wedding registry different than most people.  We live in a tiny condo and it doesn’t have a square inch of space left for stuff.  Plus, since he works for Macy’s, he already gets a big discount on most things you’d see on a traditional registry.  So when I came across this website Zola, I was really excited!  You can register for anything you want, and even set up cash funds for experiences.  Plus, it keeps track of everyone’s addresses & what they bought you for thank-you notes which I love.

One of the things we put on our registry was money towards The Urban Canning Company.  It’s a local company that makes the BEST jams you’ll ever have.  They also have really great mustards that they sell at Green Bench Brewing, and pickled veggies (I’m not as big on pickled foods, but Lance is pretty excited about them). 

They are $10 a jar, which is a splurge for us, but it’s 1000% better than your boring Smuckers jellies.  They have unique flavor combinations and everything is natural.  They don’t use artificial preservatives, dyes, or any artificial ingredients.  Plus, you’re supporting a local business, and I’m all for that. 

My friend Lynn Pham, who runs the restaurant Bamboozle, was super sweet to contribute towards our wedding registry fund for The Urban Canning Company!  And while we aren’t getting married until next April, I didn’t wait to wait until then to redeem our gift. 

Now that I have weekends off I can actually go to our local farmers markets.  St. Pete has a fantastic one on Saturday mornings – even during the summer it draws a huge crowd.  I ended up getting a nice variety of canned goodies – Mixed Berry & Thyme Jam, Smoked Paprika Tomato & Basil Jam, Surrealist IPA Sour Beer Pickles, Strawberry Bourbon & Vanilla Jam, and Blueberry Lavender & Vanilla Jam.  I can’t wait to make the most exciting PB&J sandwich ever for work on Monday. 

 

Another thing I love about The Urban Canning Company is that they themselves support local businesses.  The beer they use in the pickles is an IPA from Green Bench Brewing (one of Lance’s favorite beers…) and the produce is locally sourced.  You can read more about them on their Etsy page. 

If you don’t live here in the Tampa Bay area, you can actually purchase some of their canned goods on Etsy.  They even give you food pairing suggestions. 

And for you local people, go buy their products at these locations:

-      Brew D Licious - 667 Central Ave. – St. Pete, FL - carries a variety of their artisan jams.

-      Green Bench Brewing Co. – 1133 Baum Ave. - St. Pete, FL – carries their mustard, and serves it in their tasting room.  Also serving Surrealist IPA Sour Beer Pickles.

-      Duckweed Urban Market – 803 N Tampa Street - Downtown Tampa, FL – carries a variety of their artisan jams, mustards and pickles.

-      Squeeze Juice Works – 675 30 Ave. N - St. Pete, FL – serves their pickles on their grab-n-go menu items, carries a variety of their artisanal jams and pickles.

-      Rare Hues – 10005 N Dale Mabry Hwy Tampa 33618 – carries a variety of their artisanal jams.

-      Local Public House + Provisions – 32750 Pennsylvania Ave. San Antonio, FL – http://www.sanannlocal.com/ - carries a variety of their artisanal jams.

FARMERS MARKET SCHEDULE: (check their websites for updated information)

-      SATURDAY MORNING MARKET
AL Lang Stadium Parking Lot 1 Ave. S + 1 Street - St. Pete, FL
9am-2pm every Saturday October – May, moved to Williams Park June – August (this is where I picked up the jams this morning)

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-      ST. PETE INDIE MARKET AT THE LOCAL 662
662 Central Ave. - St. Pete, FL
12-6pm First Saturday of every month.

-      HYDE PARK FRESH MARKET
742 South Village Circle - Tampa, FL
10am-3pm First Sunday of every month.

-      FRESH MARKET AT WIREGRASS
28211 Paseo Dr. - Wesley Chapel, FL
10am-2pm First Saturday of every month.

-     SEMINOLE HEIGHTS SUNDAY MORNING MARKET
The front lawn of Hillsborough High School
5000 N. Central Ave. Tampa, FL 33603
9am - 2pm The second Sunday of every month (this summer through September it’s actually 11am – 4pm at Southern Brewing & Wine Making on Nebraska Ave)

Hyde Park Sunday Market & Fruitwood Standup Market

I had a fun father/daughter afternoon with my dad today – first with an intense spinning class at the YMCA, then eating and cancelling out all our calories we burned!

The first Sunday of each month there is a farmer’s market in Hyde Park.  I’m usually working, but luckily this month I was off for it.  Since we were still sweating from the workout, we cooled off with popsicles from Whatever Pops.  I’ve had them before at the Flicks & Food Trucks.   

The popsicles are handmade from fresh, natural ingredients, and the flavors aren’t ones you’d find in an ordinary popsicle.  I loved the Riesling Pear flavor I had at a previous market.  This time I tried the Strawberry Basil and my dad had Coconut Lime (and promptly started singing the Lime in the Coconut song…).  Both were super refreshing on this hot day.  You can check out their website to see where their stand will be set up, or you can purchase them at Duckweed Urban Market downtown.   

Next, my dad wanted to stop at Eden’s Nectar to stock up on some local honey.  He buys the seasonal honey to help with his pollen allergies.  The honey he bought today was a huge 42 ounce jar that should help build up his immune system against the August – November pollens. 

Our last stop at the market was Blessings of Home Jammery, which sells all-natural, small-batch jams.  They had some unique flavors, including mango habañero, carrot cake, and apple pie jams.  We ended up with the fresh raspberry and ginger pear – looking forward to eating mine!

They did have a bunch of food trucks at the Hyde Park Market, but unfortunately by the time we were ready for lunch, most of them were packing up.  Instead, we drove down the street to Fruitwood Standup Market since I’d heard great things about it but hadn’t been yet.  It is located right next to Smoothie King on Swann.  It had a rustic-industrial vibe (just like all the other new restaurants we’ve been to lately!) with exposed brick walls, wood and metal accents, and mason jar pendant lights.   

Fruitwood has a wide range of unique flatbreads, along with salads, wraps, and fresh fruit juices.  Today I tried AJ’s Pink Flamingo Flatbread and my dad had the 3 Cheese White with Spinach.  Mine had red sauce, pecorino romano cheese, prosciutto, pistachios, arugula, asiago, and a honey mustard drizzle.  My dad’s had mozzarella, sharp white cheddar, and pecorino romano cheeses, spinach, and fresh shaved asiago (so I guess if you count the asiago it’s really a 4 cheese pizza…) Both were fantastic – cooked in a wood-fire oven right in front of us.  The flatbread crust is a thin, crispy honey-wheat.  We had our lunch outside on the high-backed wooden benches.  I’ll definitely be back again soon. 

The Hyde Park Village Fresh Market takes placed the 1^st Saturday of each month from 10am – 3pm

Fruitwood Standup Market is located at 2203 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL 33606 and is open from 7am – 9pm Monday through Fridays, 9am – 9pm on Saturdays, and 11am – 7pm on Sundays.