tia: tAkE tWo

What a terrific boon to any budget and weekly menu... not to mention that fresh veggies are chock full of vitamins & sooo much tastier than their processed and shipped counterparts!  Not getting on my soap box on the topic of our being too far removed from our food source... or the differences in shopping at a chain grocery store vs. a local market because we don't all live in a temperate climate and we need to get them however we are able... but I gotta tellya, it's nice to chat with the folks who grow your food.  When they say organic, you get to dig a little deeper and see just "how" organic.  They say "fresh", you get to know exactly which day they harvested it.  Another plus with this particular market is that they must all be card carrying farmers in order to sell here... meaning, they aren't picking things up at some hodge-podge import depot.  They actually grow, harvest, and tote their produce to the market and directly to the consumer.   This market has all types of vegetables, fruits, plants, trees & bushes, honey, soap, chicken, lamb, cheese, goat cheese, mushrooms annnd a bread lady!

I was also impressed at just how organized some of my fellow shoppers were.  They knew precisely what they wanted, how much it cost and which stall they needed!  The vendors would recognize them and begin to gather things for them.  And then there were the kiddies... this one little man, all of three years of age, was there with his father.  His eyes lit up and his smile was just beaming!  He was not that impressed with having to wait for the rookie [me] shopper to get out of his way.  Dad told the farmer lady, that his son had "pickles" on his mind and that was that!  Whereupon, the little fella grabbed for the fingerling cucumbers.  We all chuckled and I paid and got out of his way. : ))

So, when possibly, get out there and meet your local growers.  You'll get some exercise and fresh air... appreciate the flavor & health benefits... and you could get to know some real, down to earth folks.

Labels: farmers market, organic, produce, vegetables