Asbury Park Zest The Rainbow Issue Summer 2015 | Page 28

AS B URY F R E S H

Eating
the
Rainbow
A

s summer spikes, and you’re seeking
farm-fresh rainbow-colored foods
to boost your health, nutrition and
vitality, visit Asbury Fresh, the area’s largest
local artisan farmers market located in Kennedy Park on the corner of Cookman Ave and
Grand Ave in Asbury Park.
Back in the spring of 2012, Bret Morgan
breathed life into his desire to bring fresh, local produce and handmade goods to downtown Asbury Park and Asbury Fresh was born.
Nominated for “Best of Monmouth County” in
an Asbury Park Press readers’ poll, with more
than 40 vendors, Asbury Fresh is held Sundays
from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Thursdays
from 5:30 to 9:00 pm.
“Eating a rainbow of colors means ingesting
a variety of nutrients,” says Morgan, whose
vibrant entrepreneurial energy has driven the
creation of more than one people-friendly
entity in Asbury Park. Morgan is also the cofounder of Cowerks, an Asbury Park-based
co-working community and technology hub;
BandsOnABudget.com, the sought-after musicians’ merchandise marketplace; and DBL
Systems, a software development agency.
Morgan’s colorful eating habits are completely supported at Asbury Fresh where vendors’ offerings of organic kale, leafy greens,
tomatoes, herbs, corn, and strawberries, to
name a few, are plentiful. Here the rainbow’s
varieties include: red foods, like beets and

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strawberries, that are good for your heart and
support joint strength; orange foods, which are
rich in Vitamin C; yellow foods, that are good
for digestion and skin; green foods, which are
necessary for immune system strength, dark
leafy greens are best; blue foods like blueberries — a top 10 superfood that improves eye
health and can work to aid macular degeneration of the eyes; and purple foods, like
eggplant, considered to be brain food and
support good memory.
"I've been a vegetarian for over 13 years
and ‘juice’ or make smoothies most mornings,”
he relates. “Having access to fresh, locally
sourced, organic produce has not only helped
me live a healthier lifestyle, it has given me the
energy to take on all of the various companies
and projects that I'm involved in."
If he’s not working, Bret may be doing yoga,
bike riding, surfing or cooking. "As an amateur
vegan cook, one of the things I've learned
along the way is the importance of presentation when cooking,” he said. “Visual appearance is as paramount as flavor when creating
a dish, and in my opinion, nothing is more appealing than the variety of colors that Mother
Nature gives us to work with when we're cooking with fresh produce."
The next time you hear the popular slogan
“taste the rainbow,” forget candy, think
nature, found in every color at Asbury Fresh.