Might seem like an easy thing . . . gliding past tents and tables laden with the fresh bounty of local farms, straw hat at a jaunty angle, hemp basket in hand, gathering bundles of greens, handfuls of root veggies, an orange or apple or two. And of course that bouquet of sunflowers or lavender to grace your table.
And no wonder we enjoy this respite from cello-stifled lettuces and Chinese peanut butter. Our food system is contaminated with stuff that makes us sick. And I’m not just talking about E. coli or salmonella. One recent visit to a local supermarket produce section had me reeling with the implications: grapples. Grapples are grapejuice-infused apples! Seriously! Like a good, old-fashioned apple is not good enough.
But back to the real-food market. Here are some tips for finding the best produce, learning about new stuff from farmers, and getting the most for your money.
1. Ask where the food came out of the ground. Don’t assume that if Farmer Jane has a sign that says COOL AND LOCAL FARM IN SONOMA COUNTY that that is where she grew the vegetables that grace her stall. If it is a “certified” farmers market, she does have to certify that she grew the vegetables she is selling. But the certifiers don’t care where the produce was grown – and more and more “local” farmers are growing on land they lease in Capay Valley, the central valley, and even Mexico.
2. Don’t come with a shopping list. If you are used to shopping with a recipe in mind, or a mental list of the foods your family likes, or some other limiting concept, you’re missing half the fun of a farmers market. Farmers bring whatever is the freshest from the farm that day. They may only grow a handful of something a bit “quirky” – like kohlrabi or Hakurei turnips – and those are the first things you should pick up and try. You never know – your kids may just clamor for “more of that sorrel please, mommy.”
3. Forget organic. Yes, it’s true. I know you don’t want pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, or factory-farmed, non-heirloom produce. Well, the sad truth is those are all allowed under the National Organic Program! And the only produce that can legally be called “organic” is that certified by the NOP. Meanwhile, small farmers continue growing the way small farmers have been growing for centuries – in a way that preserves the health of the farmer’s land and his (or her) family. So don’t assume that a farm that calls itself organic is necessarily carrying out your concept of safe, clean, fair, healthy, environmentally sound farming. Ask questions!
4. Get used to eating seasonally. Many more people now get this, but it’s been a long educational process. Apples don’t grow here in April. Peppers don’t grow in December. Broccoli is a spring and fall crop, best if it gets frost in November (just in time for Thanksgiving). In the summer, your body naturally craves cool lettuces, cucumbers, tomatoes, and summer squash. In the winter, it wants warm soups and stews made with root crops like carrots, beets, turnips, and potatoes. Not only is this a healthier way to eat, it is much cheaper too – the produce is abundant and you have been waiting for a few months to eat it again, so you really eat it all and enjoy it.
5. Thank your farmer. She probably got up at about 5 AM that morning, packed the truck with all the produce picked and washed the night before, harvested, washed, and packed the leafy greens, fed the animals, collected the eggs, made coffee and kissed her spouse, started down the road, forgot her cashbox and came back, then headed off again just as the sun was coming up. She’s tired, but really happy to talk to you all about what she has spent the last week nurturing by fighting off bugs, gophers, disease, the neighbor’s dog, and a hundred other threats to her livelihood. So a simple “thanks” will go a long way!
