A Trip to the Farmers' Market

by Jill Richardson · 2009-03-16 14:00:00 UTC
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farmers marketYesterday, I took my friend to his first farmers' market. He walked around, looking at everything, but more interested in the ready to eat food than the fresh veggies. Meanwhile, I stocked up on food for the week: eggs (a rare treat!), oranges, and brussel sprouts. I still have extra broccoli and tomatoes in the fridge from last week's market. And he watched as I chatted with several farmers, asking when honey would be available at one farm, or listening to another tell me about the new chickens he's getting to expand his egg production. Did it seem weird to my friend?

I still remember my first trip to a farmers' market, back in 2004. I wasn't sure how to talk to the farmers. I wanted to know more about their farms, but I didn't have the right words to ask. I was used to buying my food from supermarket clerks. And it seemed awfully neat to be able to buy your food from farmers, but I didn't know how to shop. All they sold were fruits and vegetables. I can handle the fruit part of farmers' market shopping - no cooking on instructions needed to eat an apple or some strawberries! But the vegetables? What do I do with kale? And what's the difference between all the different colors of beets? Is one type better?

Most of all, I remember how disappointed I was at my first market. I woke up "early" (11am) to make it there on time, and nearly nothing was in season! It was a chilly April day in Wisconsin, and I don't think it occurred to me that fruits and veggies are seasonal. The market offered meats, eggs, cheeses, honey, and maple syrup, but the fruit and veggie selection was slim. Just spinach, radishes, and rhubarb, mostly. "This market sucks," I concluded. I didn't return for months. When I did, in late summer, I realized how much I had been missing. By then, the market was exploding and EVERYTHING was in season.

Perhaps yesterday was like that for my friend? We are better off than the rest of the country here in Southern California, but it is still winter. San Diego county features diverse microclimates, and many of the farmers come from Temecula, where it gets blazing hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Our selection consisted mainly of leafy greens and citrus, although a few farmers offered other items like broccoli, artichokes, apples, and mushrooms. Strawberries are in season already, although they aren't sweet enough to tempt me yet. And a few vendors specalize in tropical fruits! My friend, unfamiliar with the delicious cherimoya, was not brave enough to plunk down $4/lb to try one.

It took more than one trip to the farmers' market for me to ditch the grocery store. I wonder what lies in my friend's future? We'll he become another one of us canvas-bag toting diehards in the near future?

Jill Richardson
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