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Saeed and I finally made it to the Matthews Community Farmers' Market. I've been wanting to go since January but either freezing cold weather, visitors, or pure laziness stood in the way. This market includes about 40 vendors that grow/produce their foods within a 50-mile radius of Matthews, NC, therefore qualifying it as locally grown. During the cold months they open two Saturday mornings per month; now that growing season is upon us they're open every Saturday.Buying locally grown/produced food reduces your carbon footprint because the food doesn't have to travel so far to get to your table. The other day I posted a picture of a fruit salad I made with the mango coming from Mexico and the kiwi fruit from Italy. How much airplane and truck gasoline did that fruit salad cost?
Back to the market... We got up early because I'd read that some of the items, such as asparagus this weekend, go quickly and are gone within the first 30 to 45 minutes. We arrived shortly after 7:15 (yawn) and it was still pretty cold. Look at Saeed in his short-sleeved shirt, ready for the 75*F predicted high.
Saeed is carrying empty egg cartons from home. I remember reading in Barbara Kingsolver's book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" that folks who raise eggs don't buy cartons; they expect the buyer to bring them, so we did. That's a great book by the way, very interesting.
I bought three tomato plants from this fellow. Notice his sign says "heirloom" plants. Heirloom plants are grown from seeds that have not been genetically manipulated to form monoculture (all the same) crops. Typically, because they are produced the natural way through open pollination, the plants are hardier, more resistant to pests and diseases, and have adapted to their environment. Using this method increases biodiversity and lessens the chance that a pathogen can wipe out a whole crop of something. We'll have to see if my new little heirloom tomato plants can survive me and my ungreen thumb!
This lady's sign said, "Earth Friendly Veggies and Herbs," a very clever sign to appeal to people like me.
The guy next to her (on the right) sold hot peppers dehydrated from last year's harvest. His sign says "As Hot As Possible" and he had samples of homemade salsa. Notice he's not wearing a jacket either... maybe his hot salsa keeps him warm.
This clever vendor wrote quotes on the edges of the wooden shelves. In case you can't read them: " A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a good sense of humor" (E.B.White); "Nature is always a flower" (Oliver Wendall Holmes); "A good gardener may have some weeds" (Thomas Fuller); and "If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun" (Katherine Hepburn.)
Beautiful flowers. I resisted buying these (it was hard) because our own yard is full of flowers.
Some of the vendors were artisans, such as an artisan soap maker, a chocolatier, a pastry maker, and this lady from whom Saeed was unable to turn away: the artisan bread maker. (notice I got his jacket out of the car) She cut him a slice...
... and he tasted heaven. We bought a baguette that we ate at home with Saeed's homemade lentil soup - mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I wish I'd gotten a picture of the cute boy who sold us these eggs. His parents own Hinson Farms in Monroe, NC, and this is his egg business. He must have been 10 years old. When I quizzed him on the types of hens he owns he repeated six breeds with some difficulty (can't blame him - they had very strange names like Orpington and Barnevelders) but what was important to me was that they were truly free-range eggs. We've been buying what I thought were cage-free eggs for years only to find out that these "happy" chickens may not be so happy afterall. Saeed and I have decided to buy only truly cage free, free range eggs from local small family farms.
As much as we enjoyed our first trip to this market we would like to find some closer to home. Matthews is 32 miles away and qualifies as "local" (which is loosely defined as within a 100 mile radius) but it makes sense to check out the more local markets. Trouble is, the word on the street is that they're not as good, so we'll have to do some research.
If you are interested in learning about why purchasing locally grown items is important or if you're interested in becoming a locavore, here are links to "10 Reasons To Eat Local Food", to the PBS series called, "10 Steps To Becoming A Locavore," a link to a mapping tool to help you visualize your 100 mile radius, and a wonderful link that I found (which I think Rita sent to me over a year ago and I lost it) that lets you type in your zip to find local farmers' markets, CSA's, co-ops, farms, and other similar information. And remember, the small local farmers benefit too. I'd rather give my hard-earned cash to a local family farmer than to Con-Agra, wouldn't you?
I want to say one thing. Do not mistake me for someone who does this all right. I estimate that VERY LITTLE of what we eat actually comes from within 100 miles of our table. I am only just waking up to these issues and beginning to get my feet wet. One of my questions has always been whether it's better to eat local food that is not organic, or organic food that comes from far away. The answer to that question is actually very complex and not the same in each instance. But let me tell you what I have learned about food that is true in almost every instance: a vegetarian diet goes the farthest in protecting the planet from greenhouse gases, pollution, water usage, land erosion, and is, therefore, the best choice if you care about your impact on the earth. And you know? It's a heck of lot easier to be vegetarian than it is to find local organic food unless you grow it in your own back yard. That leads me back to my ungreen thumb.... I-(
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