No wonder why most Americans don't eat fruit & veggies (pizza, avocado)
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Here in NWA the markets have a choice, they can hang the sign that does state they are local, which means no more than 50 miles from the farmers market I think or they can just set up a booth. When I learn or suspect the vendors are not growing their own produce I do not buy from them. Most, because we are so rural do grown their own.
We're going through that debate here.
Last summer, there were apparently a lot of vendors having stuff hauled or shipped in from GA/FL and marketing it as "local." The farmer's market now has a policy that if vendors have more than a certain %age of food raised outside of (I think) a 50 mi. radius, it has to be designated as "not local."
Last summer, there were apparently a lot of vendors having stuff hauled or shipped in from GA/FL and marketing it as "local." The farmer's market now has a policy that if vendors have more than a certain %age of food raised outside of (I think) a 50 mi. radius, it has to be designated as "not local."
This reminds me of a couple years ago. We were in Aldis, it was a Thursday and Mangos were on sale for almost nothing. A little lady checking out in front of us had 2 boxes of them. The checker asked her what she was going to do with all those Mangos? Her answer was; oh we are making a big fruit salad. WE all just looked at each other. We had a pretty good idea we could go to one of the farmers markets and see the Mangos the next day and over the weekend. The same little lady was in Aldi's the following week buying Cantaloupes that were on sale, and yes, buying a couple of boxes of them.
This surprises me. Are your farmer's markets not certified? I don't know about where Mikala lives, but in California the certified farmer's market vendors are required to prove that they themselves grew the produce they are selling, in a stated location within the state of California. You can't ship produce in from other states or buy it at Costco and resell at the farmer's market!
I have no idea. I do know the one my friend went on about was loaded with garlic from China. I saw the boxes when she took me. And a number of vendors got really ticked when I started reading the boxes out loud of other items. Florida citrus. That sort of thing.
Certainly not every stall. But there was enough that the market did get itself in hot water at one point. And it was years ago.
I just checked, and that Farmers Market is certified. So, hopefully they have stopped the nonsense.
...... Many places are putting up laws that prohibit residents from growing edible gardens on their homestead without a license. Talk about the USA becoming more and more communist by the day.
Nonsense. In communist countries people are encouraged to grow their own gardens.
I work in a small town in northeast TN of about 50,000. We have Walmart, Aldi, a regional grocery chain, and a dumpy Kroger. Prices are much higher. Selection is lower. Quality is poor. I like to keep frozen asparagus around. I can't find that exotic item at most of my local stores. I like to grate fresh horseradish into mashed potatoes. Most people around here don't even know what a horseradish root is. Only Publix carries jarred horseradish. I like "butter lettuce" in salads. You can't find that here. Hell, only two grocery stores in this entire city even have a salad bar! Meanwhile, the supermarkets are stocked with plenty of sweets, chips, sugary sodas, and other essentially nonnutritive items. Our farmers markets, particularly local meats, are also lacking. It's difficult to eat healthy here, and the more rural you go, the worse and less healthy the selection generally gets.
I'm a bit surprised. Aren't rural areas the place where fresh food comes from? So why would rural areas have such scarce options of fresh, healthy food, and instead rely on packaged foods brought in from urban factories? What's happening to the food being grown? Something doesn't add up.
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Originally Posted by Zoisite
Nonsense. In communist countries people are encouraged to grow their own gardens.
I can confirm from a third-hand account. My colleague, born and raised in Russia (USSR at the time), told me that his family had a small plot of farmland. There were almost no laws restricting land use. They could grow anything they wanted, raise any animals they had room for, fish in the local river, and gather berries and mushrooms in surrounding forests. Hunting, on the other hand, was very limited.
I'm from Jersey, too, and my aunt is justifiably proud of the tomatoes from South Jersey. For some reason, they never made thier way to our table at home, though. We had those horrible, tasteless pale tomatoes in the cardboard and cellophane boxes.
I only buy cherry tomatoes at the grocer. IMO they continue to have decent flavor whatever the season, although it is not consistent.
I long for the tomatoes of late summer. But, even then, it is hard to find a truly flavorful, ripe tomato. Backyard tomatoes are best. Truck farm tomatoes are often a distant second best. Tomatoes at the grocer are a waste of money, in my experience.
And I honestly dislike the newer strains of sweet corn. Even when turning starchy, the flavor stays sweet. But, to me, the flavor of a fresh ear tastes fake. But even then, it is better than starchy flavorless corn you used to find at the grocer.
We buy a lot of produce at our local farmers’ market when we can. I like buying what is in season. I could easily pig out on fresh peaches! And fresh strawberries.
+1. I don’t think people from more temperate climates understand this luxury quite the way people from far up north do. Growing up in Vermont, finding a piece of citrus fruit in winter was a huge deal; I remember splitting one with my brothers, because the damn thing cost $3.00. Now, I can walk into the grocery store and buy a whole damn bag of oranges, anytime I want. And, quite frankly, I don’t care if they were grown in a different galaxy.
But the whole point of the matter is that produce that was picked before it was ripe is deficient in nutrients that it could have if grown locally, and allowed to mature on the plant. Plus stored produce loses nutrient value as it sits in warehouses. Yes you are able to get it at the store, but at what cost. Taste is just part of it. Not to mention all the artificial circus tricks they have to do to said produce to make it somewhat presentable. As an example here is how apples are treated, and what it does to them. Then think about how all our other produce is treated in a similar manner.
Well, I've seen Costco containers under the produce stands at the "local" farmer's markets before.
If they are reselling Costco produce. It is not a farmer's market, it is a swapmeet.
The farmer's markets I am familiar with in NM and NY have rules about who can sell and what can be sold in order to maintain the integrity and mission of the markets.
As far as California produce being "great", California has an awful lot of "great" produce that is sold in California, but commercial scale agribusiness being what it is, having the word 'California' on your box of strawberries is no guarantee of freshness, ripeness, or any other measure of quality if you are buying it in a Walmart in Maine in January.
I only buy cherry tomatoes at the grocer. IMO they continue to have decent flavor whatever the season, although it is not consistent.
I long for the tomatoes of late summer. But, even then, it is hard to find a truly flavorful, ripe tomato. Backyard tomatoes are best. Truck farm tomatoes are often a distant second best. Tomatoes at the grocer are a waste of money, in my experience.
And I honestly dislike the newer strains of sweet corn. Even when turning starchy, the flavor stays sweet. But, to me, the flavor of a fresh ear tastes fake. But even then, it is better than starchy flavorless corn you used to find at the grocer.
We buy a lot of produce at our local farmers’ market when we can. I like buying what is in season. I could easily pig out on fresh peaches! And fresh strawberries.
Agreed 100%. I don't buy any vegetables from the supermarket now unless I get taken in by a large basket of strawberries, to my annoyance.
I've hated vegetables from the time I was a child and when I had my own garden, I finally found out why. I grew strawberries, corn, peas, celery, and cherry tomatoes. I never knew food could taste so good! I even grew a couple of watermelons one year. Folks, if you haven't had a homegrown watermelon, you don't know what you're missing. I have yet to taste anything in a supermarket that even comes close to it.
The strawberries and cherry tomatoes were the best I've ever tasted. The corn was delicious, especially as I had planted two different varieties and unintentionally ended up with a bi-color corn.
After that, eating store bought veggies was like chewing cardboard.
We have a Farmer's Market here where I live, but very little variety in food. Only one vendor sells more than just carrots and whatnot. I get peaches and blueberries from him and they're to die for. I gave some blueberries to a friend who had never had fresh grown blueberries before and she said it was like eating a completely different fruit.
However, we have also had people buying store bought produce to sell at the Framer's Market. I made the mistake of buying cherry tomatoes from a couple and one bite told me they were store produce.
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Nonsense. In communist countries people are encouraged to grow their own gardens.
