Farmers Markets…Worth The Hype?
Farmers markets used to be an ideal way to get fresh produce at a reasonable price…New York and other cities have turned these open air shopping spots into trendy and often expensive alternatives to Whole Foods. The Farmers Market in Union Square, although offering stall after stall of all organic and natural fruits/veggies/flowers, is now incredibly crowded and expensive! Hand picking carrots and zucchini on a Saturday afternoon has become a stressful Times Square cluster like activity where you pay a premium to dig through produce crates on 14th street. I admit, I am easily suckered into this mini slice of rural adventure…I don’t mind the extra few cents to feel like I’m doing something good for the environment via “fair trade” but sometimes (most of the time) I walk away feeling ripped off that my apple was $1.50 and the all natural loaf of banana bread was double what I would pay at the grocery store.
This Saturday I went to the Fulton Street Farmers Market where I enjoyed a much smaller, but more reasonably priced, sample of natural and organic produce (sans crowd). Less commercialized, the dozen or so vendors sold cheese, wine, veggies, flowers and baked goods. This block of stalls were well priced and easy to navigate with plenty of options. I picked up a bundle of fresh beets, brick of pecorino cheese and loaf of rye bread – hopefully, I’ll make a beet salad over a bed of spinach this week. For things that are best imported I’ll have to still go to Whole Foods (at this time of year, this will include berries and other fruits) but in the meantime, I can benefit from a small Farmers Market for local seasonable items. In the long run, I can buy higher quality as well as lower priced goods which will enrich both my diet as well as the local farming economy. Be flexible in what you want to bring home, but also have some general idea of what you’re looking for so you don’t get carried away with the “campy” feeling of buying from a local market.
