Is there a farmers market in your area?

Not too long ago, one of the Seattle newspapers carried an article about how fresh food is widely unavailable in many large cities. Part of the problem is that inner cities lack grocery stores, forcing many people (particularly poor and minorities) to either make long trips or use local corner markets that often lack fresh, reasonably priced fruits and vegetables. Seattle had this same issue, but the article said that the local problem was mitigated by the large number of farmers markets in and around the city.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, farmers markets are typically not-for-profit enterprises run by a cooperative or community service organization. The organization arranges a venue -- commonly a parking lot, school playground or other public space, and usually once a week -- and rents space out to farmers and sometimes local craftsmen. These people then set up stalls to sell their wares directly to the public. The farmers are able to sell fresh, locally grown produce at much more than they could get by selling to a wholesaler, but still for less than what the supermarkets are charging. The produce is picked ripe so it is much more nutritious; produce for distribution is usually picked before it is fully ripe so it will be able to withstand the rigors of transportation and long storage. They are a win-win situation for everyone: the farmers, their customers and the community as a whole.

The one in my neighborhood runs from April through mid November. It has lots of fruit in the summer (have you ever tasted a ripe peach that had been picked only the day before?) lots of vegetables all year (how about a properly ripe tomato, not one that was picked green and left to soften on a window sill?) a local artisan cheese maker, flower sellers and, this year, a basket maker. :toast:

So, I'm curious: Are there any farmers markets in your area and do you use them?

And many vendors take EBT cards. So does the one in the next town.

I expect that is something arranged by the organizers. I'll have to check and see if my local market does, now I'm curious. :hi:

But I think it's great that this fresh food option is available to them.

In most states, anyone eligible for WIC can receive additional vouchers valid only at the certified farmer's markets. The idea is to add some fresh produce to the diets of mothers and young children.

IIRC the WIC version was the demonstration project and based on its success the effort was expanded to food stamps/EBT participants.

we have vouchers that many seniors who need them can get through an agency we provide funding for. It's a state run program and it has made a big difference to many seniors here.

Some of my neighbors are volunteers at the market I go to. If they do not already have such a program, I know they would like information on how to set up and run something like this. Also, the city council and our legislators might find this useful if they aren't already familiar with it.

State Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/SeniorFMNP/SFMNPmenu.htm

:hi:

markets regularly.

But I get confused as to which ones are open when (different suburbs, different days). Some are open on the weekends, some only one or two weekdays, and mostly in the morning. Ever try to get a 4 YO to get his butt out of the house before something closes? It's easier for me to go to the roadside stands and drop a few bucks in the box--they're always open. And, if all else fails, our local super-mega-mongo-supermarket, Wegmans, stocks fruit and vegetables from local farms (and puts up signs with the name of the farm and how far away it is beside the produce).

I don' think we've missed a Saturday in weeks.

:thumbsup:

...and I live just outside of downtown Milwaukee.

Evanston on Saturdays for that one. There is a lot of organic and unusual produce there. Last night I made a pesto variation with zucchini, garlic, basil, thyme, almonds, goat cheese, and parmesan. All but the parmesan and almonds were purchased at the market. I put it over whole wheat linguini and it ROCKED.

I get very depressed when the markets close in the late fall and very excited when they open the following spring.

My big thing is summer fruit. When cherries are in season, the sellers at my local market are typically a dollar per pound cheaper than the grocery stores. And as I said, the difference between a farmers market peach or tomato (picked fully ripe the day before on a farm less than 50 miles away) and one bought from the supermarket (picked a two weeks ago while still green so it could be transported 500 miles or more) is nothing short of amazing. Winters are much bleaker without the color and flavor of the farmers market.

rather purchase it at the market. It's fresher, allowed to ripen naturally, local and often organic. To me that's worth a premium. Plus the varieties are just impossible to find at the grocery. There were AT LEAST 35 different kinds of tomatoes available last Saturday. Sometimes we use them in dishes and salads but they're so delicious that we often just slice and eat them with fancy salt and fresh cracked pepper. In the case of the tiny little orange ones, we've been eating them (plain) like candy all week. We also bought three different varieties of cucumbers and two different kinds of kale.

In another month the apple varieties are going to explode, usually at least 30-40 different kinds. You can't get most of them at the grocery.

I've actually become something of a farmers' market fanatic in the past decade. We seek out markets wherever we travel, take tons of photos, and usually buy several meals there. I think they are the best place to really experience local culture and taste fresh local specialties. My favorite in the world (of the markets I've visited) is La Boqueria in Barcelona. Granville Island in Vancouver, BC and Pike Place in Seattle, WA are pretty awesome too.

Mmmmmmm... cherries in season.... drool. We get some great cherries from Michigan around here, but the best I've ever tasted are in Washington. I have lots of family out there so whenever I visit during the summer I make a special point of buying lots of cherries. I was just in Seattle a few weeks ago and, honest to god, I probably ate 3 lbs of Rainier cherries and 2 lbs of Bing cherries all by myself over the course of our visit. The Rainier cherries nearly brought tears to my eyes they were so delicious.

That sounds like an excellent excuse to get out of the city and see more of the countryside. Maybe even as an enterprise, with tour organizers setting up a group visit to a local market followed by a cooking demonstration and ending with a barbeque featuring local, organic foods purchased that day. And it would be interesting to see what is available at a market in, say, New England or Tennessee.

in the US as well. I would enjoy a trip like that tremendously. My husband and I talk about doing a coffee table book about farmers markets around the world. I'm sure it's been done though. I did make myself a calendar after our most recent trip to Europe. Each month has a photo I took at the market.

P.S. Sorry, I should've looked more closely at your screen name. Of course you know ALL about the markets in Seattle. Duh! :) :hi:

If I did, I'd buy at the farmer's market though.

I hate the one closest to me and don't go any more. Entirely too elitist for little old me. I don't fit into the rich bitch category. But then, I grow my own veggies.

Video of the Arcata market:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkkxWvLmPL8


About the NCGA:

http://www.humfarm.org/


Arcata promo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGDgTZe0hTQ

I remember quite well the market in Arcata Square. Most clearly, I remember leaf lettuces bigger than my head for only 40 cents each, and my roommates complaining that I was taking up too much of their beer space in the fridge. They stopped complaining once I started cooking for them once a week. :toast:

The Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance: http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/

The market that operates year round in the University District was rated one of the best 10 in the country. :toast:

The county maintains a more comprehensive list, available at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/farms/farmers_markets.htm

:-)

The main FM in Raleigh is open every day except Sunday, I think. And it's http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/facilities/markets/raleigh/index.htm">it's huge

Various smaller ones open on different days:

Durham
Hillsborough
Carrboro

We have two in our immediate area, and many more within Portland as a whole.

and all the delicious things you can make with it.

(Okay, my husband ordered it but I made him give me lots of "tastes.") It was fresh heirloom tomato with an incredible blend of herbs in one half of the bowl, with a mildly spicy watermelon soup in the other part (sort of a ying yan presentation). Holy mother of Jebus that was good. :9

(@ Lucy's Table @ 704 NW 21st, Portland, if anyone is interested)

I will write down that name for the next time I visit. I saw a show on PBS once about a group of organic farmers and chefs near Portland who have these amazing outdoor dinners. They rotate who hosts and who cooks. It all looked sooooooooo delicious.

Great ones, I like the local-made cheeses and jellies they have. I don't get to go too often because they're all a few miles away and I can't drive. I'm growing a lot more veggies each year though so we're having homegrown stuff every day.

It'll probably be there after I'm gone, I suspect.

in Greensboro NC and a few smaller ones around the triad. Obama was at the one in Greensboro yesterday.

Been there many times. At one point the City tried to sell the property and move the market to a worse location, but so far that's been unsuccessful. They'll probably keep trying- politicians rarely know a good thing when it hits 'em in the face.