Sunday, October 22, 2006

Get Fresh!

Kat and I went to the City Market yesterday. We really don't go all that often, but I always feel a great deal of satisfaction after our visits. We usually buy a few veggies, maybe some eggs or fresh meat from a cool vendor who always tries to up-sell us. This guy knows something about his product so he actually can tell you about the farmer (his buddy/business partner) who raises the animals and his farming practices. How often do you get this sort of attention anymore as a consumer?

My grandparents were farmers...both sets. I remember going to "the market" with my grandfather, aunts, and cousins and "perfecting" my customer service at a young age. "Would you like any tomatoes with your cucumbers, ma'am?" I learned a lot of people skills during those days at the market and I remember answering a lot of questions about who raised the produce.

I know I am preaching to the choir, but isn't it satisfying to know where your food is coming from? Earlier this year, at the height of peach season, my mom dropped off a peck of fresh peaches. After seeing the peaches, one of my 21-year old co-workers, mentioned that she has never had a fresh peach. She has eaten only peaches out of a can. I immediately gave her a fresh one. Upon examining the peach, she was surprised that it had "fur" on it. Later, she was pissed off to know that she had just tasted the most magnificent taste ever, but that peach season was just ending. She would have to resume eating artificially tasty, mushy peaches out of a can, but can't wait for peach season next year.

So go visit your local farmer's market...and take someone with you!

2 comments:

Strangela said...

YES! We have started drinking Connecitut farmers milk (no hormones) Saturday we drove to northern CT and went past one of the small farms and saw the cows in the fields. We both instinctually yelled "thanks cows!!" as we went past.

Tess said...

Our most recent market purchase was a dozen eggs with the most yellow yolks I'd ever seen- and they were SO GOOD!!! But I do have a beef (sorry for the unintended pun). I find it a little frustrating that our community Farmers Market isn't BIGGER! You'd think that with all the farmland surrounding us that there would be a plethora of produce, meat, etc. Scott and I manage to get to the market once or twice a season, and there seems to be an abundance of "crafty" things amongst the few choices of produce (which is why it is not a priority for us to go every week- that and the FM only happens on Saturdays between 10-1; it's rare for us to actually be HOME on a Sat. anymore). How do we let the Farmers in this area know that we WANT to buy things from them directly? How do we encourage them to come out of the "woodwork" in St. Johns and let us get to know them? That can't ALL be growing mint!