I unknowingly participated in the National Farmers Market Week last week while vacationing in Lake Tahoe. After picking up a local rag in Tahoe City I was excited to see mention of a market taking place on Thursday AM commensurate with USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack’s decree. Not that I needed a governmental stimulus.
I love farmers markets. I’ve frequented my downtown Austin market weekly for the last four years. Other than the organic food you buy directly from the people who grow it there is a lot of upside. The people watching is prime. There’s music and laughter. And there’s ample excuse to eat breakfast twice.
But there is something more than surface glee. There exists a nervous vitality at farmers markets that is not found in any supermarket. The farmers worked like hell to get the food into the stand. Most woke up extra early market day and drove 50 to 100 miles to be there. They need to sell out or close to it. The shoppers are hoping that there will be enough of whatever it is they are after. They must deal with the relatively lawless lines and the awkward hand offs of produce. The lack of structure. The hand scrawled signs. A slight degree of uncertainty is present for all involved. Something that feels much more like reality and much less like we’ve become entitled to expect hangs in the air. It’s all very humanizing.
Apparently there are now about 4900 farmers markets in the US. That is a bounty of reality waiting to be harvested. So grab a canvas bag or three and get yours.
Tags: farmers market, fresh, natural, organic