Confession: I harbor a deep ambivalence about farmer’s markets.
In theory, I’m all for them – a chance for farmers to sell their lovely, fresh produce at a fair price; a chance for customers to rub shoulders with the folks who grow their fruit, vegetables and other products; a fun place to browse on your lunch break or on a summer afternoon. And I firmly believe fresh tomatoes (and other produce) that haven’t traveled hundreds of miles do taste better.
Farmers' tents in Copley Square
But when it comes down to spending my money there, I’m often overwhelmed by the choices – should I buy from this farmer’s stand or that one? Buy heirloom tomatoes or regular ones? Splurge on local honey or spend my money on fruits and veggies, where it will go farther? How much of this produce is organic? Does it matter, as long as it’s all local? Will I end up buying more than I can use? The questions buzz around like the bees flitting around the bunches of sunflowers, and the crowds jostle me, till I’m worn out and frazzled and feeling vaguely guilty. (Not least because the answer to the last question is usually “Yes.”)
However, when I can put all that aside for a few minutes, and just pick up a bit of fruit, a couple pounds of tomatoes and maybe fresh flowers, I do enjoy shopping at the farmer’s market in Copley Square (on Tuesdays and Fridays, and easy to get to on my lunch break). There’s always people-watching to be done (even if the kids do love to scream and chase the pigeons), and some of the stands offer sandwiches in case I didn’t bring my lunch. And the stately buildings nearby – the Boston Public Library, Trinity Church, the Old South Church – provide a lovely backdrop for the crisp white tents and colorful produce.
Do you shop at farmer’s markets? What’s your take on the whole “eat local” thing?
cakes, tea and dreams 
I firmly beleive in eating local. It can often be better value for money too – one local butcher sells sausages that are so filling you are as stuffed after eating them as you are from twice the number of supermarket suasages. The trick is to understand this and adjust your buying accordingly.
Mind you one of our local farmers sells cakes and pies and the most delicious shortbread in the whole world apart from my Mum’s so perhaps the saving in fuel to transport this stuff around is compensated for by the increase in fuel needed to move an ever fatter Phil around !
I LOVE farmers markets. Sadly, we don’t have any worth much in Las Vegas (it’s hard to grow all those awesome fruits and veggies and such in the desert). But I hear you! It can be overwhelming wondering what to buy, from which stand, how much and all that good stuff. It’s like I need someone to walk me through the place and give me the low-down! 🙂
Farmer’s markets are wonderful for so many reasons. I just wish that the government would subsidize these truck farms rather than the big corn behemouths that are making us all fat. My eyes tend to get really big at the farmer’s market and then I end up throwing a lot of food away. This year we got a share in a CSA (community supported agriculture) so each Wednesday we get a box full of veggies. It has been a fun challenge to find things to make out of all the bounty some of which is totally new to me. I seemed to have lost a bit of momentum, however, since we returned from vacation. My zeal to find uses for the box of veggies is flagging a bit. I need to rededicate myself.
You should read Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”. It’s all about eating locally and seasonally (which would be the hardest thing ever!) … I wrote a little bit about it here: http://olivegreenlimegreenevergreen.blogspot.com/2011/03/prayer-race-against-time-animal.html.
We love visiting the farmers market in downtown Nashville….but it is HUGE and a bit overwhelming, and not exactly close to our house. Especially when our 3 tomato plants are producing about as many as we can handle, it’s difficult to justify the extra trip downtown. I do almost always get suckered into the “local produce” section in our local grocery though. Even with a middle man, the local peaches and tomatoes and corn just seem prettier.