Dubai On Fridays Dubai residents can go organic – with a lot of fun thrown in.
Eco-friendly group Blue Planet Green People has launched a Farmers Market at Jumeirah Lake Towers while another organic major, Ripe, has a Friday Foodie Market in Jumeirah 1.
Both weekly markets are packed with fun activities to give families a wholesome outing.
The Ripe market at the Seaside Mediterranean Restaurant and Café Le Gourmet sells seasonal, organic produce and locally made cheese and chutneys, cakes, bakes, gluten-free items and snacks. Le Gourmet also offers children’s entertainment and a family brunch for Dh69.
Fun day out
Ripe’s founder Becky Balderstone said the idea behind the market is to make healthy eating more accessible and enjoyable. Le Gourmet will churn out house-baked goods to stone oven cooked pizzas, seafood dishes and healthy breakfasts, she added.
Blue Planet Green People’s Farmers Market is set against the lake in Cluster U at Jumeirah Lake Towers.
“The market had been designed as a fun day out for families,” said Blue Planet founder Renu Ojha. “It is a family-friendly affair and includes a host of activities centred around gardening, art and crafts and good health and food. Residents can buy fresh organic produce directly from local farmers.”
On the first Friday on January 25, the entire stock of vegetables from two farms was sold out within an hour aftr opening. Around 80 families were present, making the most of the refreshing morning. While parents shopped for veggies – you could get two bags for Dh80 – their little ones were busying themselves elsewhere.
In one corner, some of them were all ears as a story of the Curious Monkey was being narrated. Others opted for art and crafts work. Four 10-year-olds even put up a stall to sell bread, cheese sticks and mini doughnuts. There were other stalls too where adults sold handmade terracotta jewellery, shea butter and so on.
Every week there’s something new. The highlights of the activities on February 1 included paper art workshops. Of course, gardening tips every week are a huge draw. Visitors get to learn a lot as they are given basic tips on seed-to-sapling transition, soil-to-sand ratio, amount of sunshine needed for plants to grow, pot planting etc. They even get their hands dirty by planting saplings of coriander, mint, parsley and some ornamental plants. “Two weeks later, they meet again when the plants are ready for transplant,” said Ojha.
Every Friday, Ripe’s Friday Foodie Market is open from 9am to 1pm while Blue Planet’s Farmer’s Market functions from 10.30am to 2.30pm.
