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The demand for local products on the island of Ibiza is finally beginning to expand, after many years with an unfortunate but clearly evident decline. As more farmers and producers join in the effort to make delicious food and useful items from materials found locally, we see an increase in the interest of residents and visitors to join the movement.
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After the successful launch of the first local products market ‘Mercat de Forada’, in the small village of Forada, every Saturday of the year since January 2013, from 11:00 to 16:00, there is now a second Local Product Market in San José.
The Mercadillo de San José is a market focused on local, artisan and organic produce. It is located in the heart of the town, in calle de Pere Escanellas, just in front of the town hall. There you will find some 40 stalls with precious pieces of traditional Ibizan crafts and all kinds of fresh and manufactured organic products.
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The market is open every Saturday in the summer from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., from the beginning of June to the end of October. (Check the opening times before going, since they may undergo modifications).
Here you can buy the most varied and healthy products directly from the producers and enjoy a lively and pleasant atmosphere.
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The market usually offers various workshops on traditional Ibizan culture every week to enjoy with the family and other people from the municipality. Some Saturdays you can also find the gastronomic workshops "Sabores de Ibiza en el mercado", with dishes made with seasonal Ibizan products or from the garden.
Sometimes they also have didactic workshops "Our words in the market". Activities designed for children to acquire knowledge related to the market and the customs and traditions of Ibiza in an informal and playful context. Finally, there are usually recycling workshops to turn objects that no longer serve you, such as cardboard boxes, egg cups or Tetra-bricks, into beautiful and useful objects.
Also, the Mercat de Sa Cooperativa Agrícola de San Antonio was inaugurated on July 31, 2020 and is held every Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. throughout the year, with the intention of offering local agricultural product and other kilometer zero products made or transformed in Ibiza, with the idea of ​​helping farmers to dispose of their surplus production. At the same time, you can benefit greatly by buying excellent products directly from the producers offering a lot of indigenous varieties and certified organic products.
On the other hand, there are more and more local artisan products emerging on the island and it seems that as this trend continues to grow, so does the interest of the local population and visitors, who actually seem to prefer local products if they are available, and obviously if they are not too expensive compared to the imported varieties.
This is a very positive sign that Ibiza is finally waking up to the idea of ​​being more self-sufficient in both food products and local crafts.
What can you do?
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At our main center in Casita Verde, we try to use as many local products as possible in our daily lives and actively promote the idea to our members and visitors.
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There are hundreds of recipes that exist and more that we can invent using local products instead of imported products. So, it’s a matter of being smart and taking advantage of the abundance of fruits and vegetables in season to conserve in jars or simply freeze, so that they can be consumed throughout the year.
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Nowadays, most of the stores on the island offer both local and imported products, therefore it’s advisable to ask where they come from to ensure that we are benefiting local producers as much as possible.
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Obviously, the more we can consume local resources, the more resilient our local population will be and in the event of emergencies, the more likely it is that we can survive successfully as an island community.
