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November 20, 2005
Thankful all year 'round
Everyone’s talking about food.
But even with Thanksgiving just five days away, the chatter is focusing on more than new ways to roast turkey or the latest variations on green bean casserole and canned cranberry sauce. At least in my neighborhood, more and more cooks are seeking out alternatives to pre-packaged, over-processed, look-alike ingredients, and the opportunities are simply mouth-watering.
Of course, we’ve got the goods to work with. Bins at our local farmers market are overflowing with heirloom varieties of squash and sweet potatoes. Deep red jugs of cranberry apple cider shoulder up next to golden gallons of fresh pear cider, stout jars of shimmering apple butter, and just-out-of-the-oven loaves of pumpkin bread. Ten kinds of apples and four kinds of pears promise tasty crisps and juicy pies. Thick spikes of deep orange carrots joust for space on a waist-high stand brimming with the homely but infinitely useful celeriac and abundant globes of ruby red radishes. Box after box of kale, chard and arugula offer tempting possibilities to the greens lovers in the crowd. Eager shoppers queue to buy fresh eggs not long stolen from the chickens who laid them and beef carved from healthy cows that grazed on little more than grass. Sunday afternoon chefs gather fresh herbs for their stuffings and salad dressings, even while eying the flavorful white cheddars and tasty feta at the cheese stall nearby. There’s homemade honey to drip on homemade rolls, and pudgy little turkey candles molded out of bright yellow beeswax to light the way through the dinners that emerge from this culinary kaleidoscope.
From what I can tell, my farmers market is the rule, not the exception – which is one of the reasons why farmers markets all over the country are growing by leaps and bounds. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, over 3,700 farmers markets dot the U.S., an increase of 111 percent since 1994. People own their own reasons for shopping at a market like mine. Some come for the availability of organically grown produce, which seems increasingly important when confronted with pesticide-contaminated drinking water and herbicide residue on food. It’s probably the biggest reason why I shop at the market. Call me crazy, but I just don’t want to consume toxic chemicals. At my farmers market, I’m certain I’ll find plenty of wholesome food to suit my health-conscious palate.
Others like the market’s diversity. “Our” farmers don’t have a corporate bin to fill with just one kind of tomato or a singular type of bean. They can grow as many varieties as their hands can pick, knowing someone at the market will buy them with glee.
Ask any of the farmers, and they’ll tell you that their customers remain loyal simply because their food tastes so good. A quick glance at the dozens of neighbors strolling around the market contentedly munching on some yummy morsel gives credence to this claim.
Overriding all of these reasons, notes Local Harvest, a nonprofit group that supports small-scale agriculture, is the fact that a farmers market is locally run and locally produced. When the alternative is to buy grocery store products that, according to the Worldwatch Institute, have traveled somewhere between 1,500 and 2,500 miles to make the leap from distant farm to my home plate, locally grown options win hands down.
Thanksgiving is an apt time to reflect on the food we eat, but it shouldn’t be the only time. With many farmers markets now running year round, we can choose organic, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and other tasteful delights from January to December -- and be thankful doing so.
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News you can use:
Breaking the Chains: Buy Local, Organic, & Fair Made
The Organic Consumers Association has launched its holiday season of action. Between November 13 and December 31, people across the country will be organizing events that encourage consumers to buy local, organic and Fair Trade products from local farmers markets, coops, bookstores, coffee shops, grocers, and independent businesses. To organize or take part in an event near you, visit http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc.htm
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