Farmer's Market Tuesdays

I love Tuesdays so very much. Right down the street from where I live there is a cute little farmer's market that sells everything from flowers, to fresh produce, to specialty nuts and dried fruits, to specialty cheeses.

A lot of times when you hear the words "Farmer's Market", you think of something trendy, or something fun to do on a weekend when it's nice outside and you want to walk around and enjoy the weather. Most people don't think of it as their normal place to shop for fruits, vegetables, breads, eggs, and even meats and cheeses. But they're always around, and they're always a bargain and always the smart place to shop. A farmer's market isn't just a cute title, it's actually what it implies; a market place where farmer's from cities all around your city come to sell what they've grown. I was buying apples the other day from Dave, who I've been buying apples from for a year now. I know that their family farm is in Riverside, and everything except the green apples are organic. His stand sells lots of different fruit and they also sell some root vegetables. I overheard this girl say, "ewww, this carrot is dirty". I started laughing, and said, "well I hope so. It does come from the dirt- that's how vegetables should look until you get them home and wash them." She didn't think my comment was very funny, but I did, and that's all that matters.

Fruits and vegetables come from the earth. They shouldn't be shiny and all the same size sold in plastic bags with labels showing pictures of farms on them; instead, they should actually come from farms, and have flaws, and look like they were just picked or pulled. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a bunch of carrots that have their beautiful leafy green tops still attached that look like they've been yanked from the earth by a cartoon character rabbit. That's what real food looks like. We are so used to the grocery store's perfected display of fruits that have a shiny, waxy coat around the apples that are all one size with no blemishes, or the carrots that live inside a plastic bag tied tightly and all cut and washed for you by a machine at a factory.

When you go to a farmer's market, you're helping your local community by buying straight from the people working hard to grow the food. Not every person there selling is a grower, but most of them there have worked hard to farm their food and give us organic, pesticide free produce that didn't come from Mexico in trucks. Less fuel was used to drive it there which also means it's much more fresh, and a machine didn't clean and package them for you. Plus, for me, I like to get to know the people I'm buying from. There is the most adorable french woman who sells her pastries and breads there. She has a shop in Los Angeles, but also sells at farmer's markets around her city. She always says 'Bonjour!" in her cute french accent, and makes the most delicious whole wheat honey bread- and I can read every ingredient that goes into the bread. Each loaf of bread is around $3.65. I've never actually gotten my kale lady's name, but I call her kale lady, and she sells the best, most delicious kale all organic and all pesticide free, and I get two HUGE bunches for $4. Gabriella farms and sells berries, I get three containers of raspberries and blueberries mixed for $10- an amazing deal when you see how much fruit it is. There are specialty stands like greek stands with hummus and pita bread, fresh and local exotic seafood, stands to buy different kinds of olive oils and vinegars, and so much more. It's also seasonal, obviously, so anything you buy produce wise is always at it's peak of freshness and is supposed to be grown and eaten in the month you're buying it in, unlike supermarkets where everything is available year round, no matter how tasteless it is.

You might be thinking, but I don't know where a farmer's market is near me. Here you go- http://www.localharvest.org/. Go and find a farm and a farmer's market near you- they're usually going on somewhere near you a few times a week, especially with spring in town now. Also on that link is a location of farms. Real farms- and you can go to most farms and pay a small price to get in the door, then you pick what you want and pay for what you got in weight, and it's a great, great deal.

So go out, enjoy spring, get to know farmers around your cities, find out if they're organic, pesticide free, or just local if that's what you're concerned with, and start shopping outside the horribly lit grocery stores. Food wasn't meant to be surrounded by flourescent light bulbs and unfriendly employees who take too many smoke breaks. Also, if you're interested at all in where your food comes from, where it should come from, and the importance of fresh, seasonal food, read this book- it will change your life. "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingslover.

Oh- and farmer's markets are like Costco, free samples everywhere you look.

Happy produce shopping!