Ellie's Downtown Deli & Catering, Stuart, Fla. Serves Locals

Stuart, Fla.—Ellie’s Downtown Deli serves delicious food that supports Florida farmers. They buy Ingredients from several South Florida based farms like Osceola Organics and Ground Floor Farm.

Polenta with Florida sourced strawberries and Swiss chard,
Ellie's Downtown Deli & Catering, Stuart, Fla.
Copyright 2015 by Helen A Lockey

They make everything fresh each day said Chef/Owner Mark Muller during an interview earlier this year.

During my visit with them I ordered a delicious Florida sourced strawberry polenta dish.

Spicy Florida sourced Swiss chard soup from Ellie's
Downtown Deli & Catering, Stuart, Fla.
Copyright 2015 by Helen A Lockey

I also tried a soup made with Stuart, Florida, sourced Swiss chard and carrots. It was very spicy, silky and slightly saltier than I take my food but still delicious.

Ellie's Downtown Deli & Catering is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

They are located at 18 SE 6^th Street, Stuart, FL 34994

Their phone number is (772) 781-6605

Florida Gin, St. Augustine Distillery Style

St. Augustine, Fla.—St. Augustine Distillery puts 26 botanical ingredients in their small batch gin. Some of these ingredients are Florida grown like sugar cane molasses and orange peel.

Benjamin Tier, tour guide and bartender at St. Augustine Distillery,
preparing cocktail with small batch botanical gin,
Copyright 2015 by Helen A Lockey

They also put in juniper, coriander, Cassia bark, lemon & lime peels, angelica, and other proprietary ingredients. The end result is a slightly sweet, floral gin that’s almost good enough to drink straight, which is saying something from me, a person who doesn’t like gin.

To try their gin for free, make your way to their distillery located at 112 Riberia Street, just a few steps away from San Sebastian Winery, and take a walking tour. At the end of the tour you’ll be served drinks made with whatever they are currently bottling (the alcohols change every few months or so).

If you’re lucky you’ll get tour guide Benjamin Tier, a former stand-up comedian and St. Augustine historic city walking tour guide. He makes the touring and tasting funny.

Tours run between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday, every half hour at the beginning and middle of the hour. The only difference on Sunday is that the first tour is at 11:30 a.m. Call (904) 825-4963 for more information.

St. Augustine Distillery staff advise arriving 10-15 minutes before the time you want to tour because they do not take reservations.

The next alcohol on the horizon is silver rum, estimated to be ready sometime in September 2015.

Local Juice Press Shop, Palm City, Fla. Vegan

Palm City, Fla.—Local Juice Press Shop uses local Florida ingredients. They source produce from ShadowoodFarm, Global Organics and Ground Floor Farm to make cold-pressed, vegan, juices, smoothies and cleanses.

Heather Holt, co-owner Local Juice Press Shop, Palm City, Fla.
Copyright 2015 by Helen A Lockey

Co-owner Heather Holt said, during a recent interview, the thing that makes her company different from other juicing companies is that they can deliver fresh cold-pressed, nutrient-rich juice to customers, on a daily basis, in Palm Beach and Martin Counties.

The juice combos at Local Juice Press Shop are deliciously inventive like Orange Crush made with carrot, orange, ginger and turmeric. They make sprouted almond milk and other juices with seasonal fruit & vegetables, Gogi berries, Maca and more.

To find out more about them or to get some juice delivered, you can go to their Facebook Page or email thepowerveg@gmail.com