One of my favorite things to do is to find local sources for the things that we buy. Last week, our neighbors Tass and Sheena took a trip to Carmel and visited an artichoke farm while they were there. They supplied our neighborhood with the lovely little things. (Thanks guys!) There is a lot out in the media about buying locally because you are saving the planet or whatever, but there is A LOT in it for you, too.
I won’t stop at just any roadside stand. You do have to use discretion. You need to have some kind of idea where the stuff came from. I have even heard of people buying large quantities of fruit at Denio’s (a local weekly “everything” market) and then setting up camp at an intersection and claiming to be farmers selling their own local produce. A good way to know that you have a reputable source is to shop at a certified farmer’s market. The best one around here by far is the Sacramento Farmer’s Market. They do all the work for you, because not only do they investigate their vendors, but they also get them all in the same place at the same time for you. Another thing you can do is to join a produce co-op like Farm Fresh to You. That one does ALL of the work for you. It is a box of local, seasonal, organic produce that just shows up at your door. This is fun because you never know what you’re going to get and it feels like opening a present. We did this for a while, but wound up canceling our membership, the reason being, well, you never know what you’re going to get. Meal planning is tough when you don’t know what produce you are going to have and I like to pick out my own snack produce. But I have to say most of what came in our boxes was delicious. Then there is Whole Foods. A lot of the produce at Whole Foods is local, you just have to read the sign. It’s true that it can be expensive, but I am sometimes surprised by the low prices on things there. You can ensure good prices if you buy the weekly specials; there is always a selection of produce on the list.
There are a lot of reasons to buy locally other than the saved gas emissions from hauling trucks (this is what I am always hearing about). For one, it tastes better. Produce that has to travel a long distance has to be picked before it is ripe. This is why you might buy a beautiful bright red tomato at Safeway but then you get home and cut it open and it is still green. The exterior ripened on the journey to the store, off of the vine. Of course it is not all up to the local grower, it is also up to you too to make sure you are buying quality. You have to learn what a ripe watermelon sounds like or what a ripe nectarine smells like.The farmer’s market is a multi-sensory experience. You also get to experience new produce. Your local growers are likely to have interesting and unique varieties that a national distributor is not going to offer your grocery store.
We typically go every couple of weeks with another family, and my favorite thing about going is that it has become a ritualistic tradition for us. We wake up early, load up the car and grab a coffee on our way down. It is about a 20 minute drive so Joel and I talk (believe it or not, since we’ve had Josiah, these times can be few and far between!) while Ethan reads a book and Josiah sleeps. When we get to market, we put the kids in the stroller and start at one end of the market. Ethan usually goes straight for “the honey man” to buy a handful of honey sticks and I check out the flowers. I am usually able to get really cool flowers that you cannot find in the store, or at the very least a common flour in a rare color. I usually hurry to the baker in the middle of the market to get my chocolate croissant (if you get there early enough, sometimes they are still warm!) that I tear apart and eat with my coffee while we browse. There are things that we always buy, but mostly we get something different each time. It seems like every time we go there is something new that just came into season. It is also a great learning experience for kids. Ethan can talk to the guy from the goat farm about how goat cheese is made or talk to the crayfish guy about how he catches them and how you eat them. There is also a vendor that has live fish in huge water filled bins so he usually checks them out. One of the mushroom vendors has a display on their booth of live growing mushrooms that explains the science behind it, and he gets to sample different things along the way. Most farmers are friendly and proud to talk about what they do, but you do get the occasional grumpy farmer who has been up all night harvesting.
It can be overwhelming when you first go, but you have to give yourself some time. The more you go, the more you learn about the vendors and who has the best of what or the best prices. I know that the woman that has the best price on strawberries does not have the best tasting ones. I will pay 50 cents more at the booth with the man who has the better ones. There are definitely things at the market that are NOT worth the money (for example, organic brown eggs for $8.99 a dozen!!!!) but most of it is better quality for a lower price. If you think you can’t buy local because you have a strict grocery budget and you think you’ve got to get produce at Walmart, think again. You can get a lot of food for a little money at the farmer’s market, especially when you’re buying the basics like onions, potatoes, lettuce, herbs, etc.
Here are some of the things that we buy locally:
Fruit (except bananas and mangoes) from the farmer’s market or Whole Foods
Vegetables from the farmer’s market or Whole Foods
Herbs from the farmer’s market
Oils and vinegars from the farmer’s market (like olive oil or balsamic vinegar)
Cheese from the farmer’s market (sometimes, I do buy Trader Joe’s, which is not local)
Flowers from the farmer’s market
Eggs (we are lucky enough to have family with chickens and BELIEVE ME once you start using eat fresh eggs, you will never go back!)
Some things I am still on the hunt for:
Milk and other dairy products at reasonable prices
Everyday bread
Meat and poultry
Grains such as rice, quinoa and four
Dried fruits and nuts
There is also the fact that you are supporting your local farmer. This is a big deal because these hard working business owners are competing with huge companies like Del Monte. Sometimes the guy that I buy carrots from at the market still has dirt on his hands from pulling them out of the ground at 4am that morning. When I buy his carrots, I am saying “I appreciate you, your product is better and I want you to succeed.” Many small farms are family run. They rely on the local public and not only is it good for them, but I personally think it is good for maintaining the heritage of American agriculture. Farming is a picture of hard work, dedication, self respect and respect for the earth. I want my kids to grow up connected to that. And, fine, I am helping the ozone layer, but I am more excited about eating something yummy.
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