Take advantage of the Farmer's Markets

[Coney]

I rode my bike down to Union Square yesterday after work and bought about 12 lbs. of Apples/Nectarines/Corn/Tomatoes for less than $10 from the farmers. I don't ever want to buy produce from the dreaded grocery store EVER AGAIN! The apples taste like apples, the tomatoes smelled wonderful and taste even better, and the nectarines are to die for. :hungry:

What was I doing all this time buying produce at the grocery store that's shipped all the way from California? I'm sure produce is much better IN California, but here, we get the stuff that's picked off the trees/bushes too early and has no flavor. I can't believe all the gasoline I've contributed to burning just for a nectarine from California! What was I thinking? What's the point of saying I'm very environmentally friendly when I eat fruits that have to be shipped 3000 miles?

I've vowed to go to the Farmer's Market at least once a week to stock up on amazing fruits and veggies at a fraction of the cost, with very little gasoline burned to bring the food to my area.

BUY LOCAL. :up:

My only problem is that I'm addicted to bananas and avacados. Those don't grow here, so I'll have to just stick with those being imported. But the other stuff, I can certainly buy local.

[anodekraft]

Rock on!

:guitar:

I love the farmer's markets. At one of our's we can buy all kinds of local things besides vegetables/fruits like veggie tamales, jams and jellies, potted plants and veggie starts, bread. It is ever so rewarding to feel so connected to my food. And each taste is heaven!

There is also this old farmer "Old Blue" who wears overalls and sells the most beautiful produce out of his ancient rusty truck. He's so wonderful! I get gardening advice from him. He sais he never uses pesticides cause it's "darned too much money and too much trouble!".

The only thing I buy from the store now is mushrooms, avocados and limes...and yea... I feel sort of sad about that too.

I pray I will never have to subsist of grocery produce ever again! Sometimes I think that people think it it hard to be a vegetarian because then they would have too eat that god-awful stuff all the time!!

[epski]

I rode my bike down to Union Square (snip)

Best farmer's market ever right there.

[Walter]

I think you've convinced me to go to the farmer's market. I really need to start going... it goes against everything I stand for to not go!

Besides, fresh fruit wouldn't be a bad addition to my diet! And if something went bad in the fridge and I had to throw it away, I wouldn't feel nearly as bad if it came from a farmer's market then from a grocery store!

[Oatmeal]

Farmer's market rules.

Here in Northern CA, not all produce sold at the market is locally grown. But this season there is a new "CA grown" certificate that local growers can display at their stands.

[Coney]

So my latest trip down to the farmer's market was fantastic. I came home with 2 GIANT bunches of collard greens for A BUCK! I was shocked at how cheap they were. i think that's 4 days worth of collards....

The tomatoes I bought look great, although I haven't gotten into them yet.

viva la farmer's market!

[Ariadne]

I used to go to a farmers market in west London and it was fabulous. There are none (that I know of) where I live now, though I should get myself to some of the big fruit and veg markets in the east end.
Indian areas of town can be astoundingly good for cheap fruit and veg, though you're less likely to find organic stuff.

[cujewel]

this is all great, and I LOVE the farmers market too, but what am I to do when they close up for the winter?? The one I go to says they'll stop selling on Oct 1!!! thats later this week. ahhhh!! I dont want to go back to getting all my food from the store. :help:

[Flower]

Farmer's markets are great. We just went to the one here yesterday morning. Fresh apples! :lick: Gotta get some pumpkins for carving next week.

I also love CSA's. There are several organic ones around here, one in particular that's great. They even grow mushrooms! I haven't joined in a while. Will have to seriously consider it next year.

[Coney]

this is all great, and I LOVE the farmers market too, but what am I to do when they close up for the winter?? The one I go to says they'll stop selling on Oct 1!!! thats later this week. ahhhh!! I dont want to go back to getting all my food from the store. :help:


Sad, sad. :bobo: (I don't know why I put him here, his big green afro is spectacular!)

Could you find an indoor or covered farmer's market? I grew up in Michigan, and even there, the market would be open til' November, cause it was indoors. I'm not sure how long the market is around here in the City, but a LONG TIME is what I'm hoping!

Doesn't squash start to come in real soon in the north??

[Flower]

I just bought a butternut squash Saturday at our farmer's market, so I would think they'd be everywhere right now.

[soilman]

Please someone tell me how to find the Union Square Farmer's market! I walked all over the area, but didn't notice any. I have will be in the area again, in December.

[Coney]

Hey Soilman, it's on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. North end of Union Square. It's really big. I'm not sure if it's all year, it might be, but in December there's this outdoor craft market set up for holiday shopping, which is pretty cool--I'm just not sure about how much produce will be there.

[soilman]

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North end of Union Square. It's really big.
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You're saying it's outdoors? Err, Union Square, the whole thing, is awfully small. It's just a teensy bit of open space, with a few benches in it, crammed in between a zillion tall buildings, most of them butted up one right up against the other, with no space whatsoever between them, except for a maze of narrrow roads jam-packed with vehicular traffic, and no front yards or back yards to most of the buildings -- just 4 feet of sidewalk before the road. And this kind of thing occupying almost every foot of surface area on all sides, for miles around. Where is there room in Union square for a big market area? I don't think the whole of Union square, including all the surrounding roads, occupies more than an acre or 2. You can walk from corner to corner of Union Square, in about 3 minutes.

[soilman]

Indeed, a look at MapQuest shows that it is not even a square, like all the other squares, but covers 1 block from W to E, from Universtity Place or Broadway, I cant tell which, to 4th Ave or Park Ave, I can't tell which, and covers 2 1/2 blocks, from N to S, 2 blocks from 17th St to 15 street, and covers only part of a block from 15th st to 14th St -- it's southern end is rounded off. And they have the nerve to call it a square.

[FafaFrappy]

I love the farmer's market! I just made my first trip ever.. and was super excited for some reason. But I love the place! They even sell naked juice for much cheaper than any other store! :)

I'm glad I live in AZ. The market is still open. I can get yummy produce, for great prices! :)

[Meadow]

...summer would last all year round in B.C. I get very sad the last day of the Farmer's Market - which is October 29th this year. Sigh. :tired:

[Coney]

Another amazing deal today. Bags of 12 apples for A BUCK! Bags of 12 nectarines for A BUCK! Such nice folks there, too.

Happy as a clam here. :sunny:

Soilman:
I think they call it "Union Square" because it cuts across Broadway. The parking lot space that surrounds the north and west side of the park is pretty big, you'd be surprised how many produce stands can fit in there. Probably something like 30-40 farmers have stands set up in that space. (Massive sized Union rallys happened there back in the 30's--which is why it's called Union Square for anyone who'd like to know) Anyway, if you're heading into the city any time soon, you should check it out.