first farmer sighting at the North Market!

We headed to the North Market this morning to scope out the farmer's market situation. This should be the time of year that the farmers come trickling back in, and lo! We did indeed see our first farmer!

Combs Fresh Herbs were there, with some wintered-over radicchio and spinach as well as forsythia and pussy willow branches and other assorted plant material. We bought some of each of the edibles, plus a small aloe plant and a catnip pillow for the kitters.

The weather has been pretty cold here, so I'm guessing the market will be slow to get started this year. Le sigh. I can has asparagus soon? Please?

We also picked up some bacon and cottage ham and Crème Fraîche with amarena cherries ice cream from Jeni's. And we continued to eat our way through the ice cream sandwiches from Jeni's - so far the favorite is the fromage blanc with mango.

A pause from summer travels to enjoy the bounty of summer in Ohio.

I travel a lot in the summer, living in my tent for two or more weeks at a time. I'm glad to be home for a few days before my next adventure, so I thought I would post about today's market experience.

I traveled to Pearl Alley Farmer's Market in downtown Columbus, Ohio. It's not one of the major markets in town, so I was uncertain what I would find. Boy, was I surprised.

I almost bought more than I could carry. Here's the haul, with prices if I remember them:

edamame (quart) $3
summer squash (yellow, zucchini, and patty-pan)
eggplant
green beans (quart) $2.50
corn (6 ears) $2.75
sweet onions
red potatoes
blackberries (quart) $5
strawberries (astonishing! quart) $4
the mother of all cantaloupes (HUGE!) $3.50
peaches (4 large) $5

The prices do run a tad bit higher than grocery store sales, but the produce was all local, and harvested within the last 24 hours. I spent about $40, and half of that was the fruit. Nowadays I go to the grocery store once a week and spend less than twenty bucks. I'd guess that 85-90% of the food I currently consume comes from local farmer's markets. The glaring exceptions are cereal, oils, dairy, grains, beans, and the occasional prepared food. I'll be switching to local milk and butter when I return from my travels in mid-august. I've found local corn meal and soft wheat flour, but not bread flour, rice, lentils or beans. (I know that some of those things simply don't grow in Ohio. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled though.)

On eating locally

While eating locally-grown produce (and other locally raised and/or produced agricultural products) makes a darn good bit of sense, I hadn't really thought about the true importance of it until I read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. (It's a really excellent book, and I recommend that you go out and read it right now!) In it he takes a long, hard look at what we eat, where it comes from, what it goes through, and how far it travels to get to our plates. It's really a good read as well as a lesson in farming and food production in the US today.

In addition, Michael Pollan has a really nice list of links on his web page, including a pdf file of resources for eating sustainably.

Other on-line resources include:
10 reasons to eat local food
Locavores (based in the San Francisco Bay area, but there is information pertinent to all locales. I especially like their guidelines.
Eat Local! from New American Dream

So needless to say, I firmly advocate that you check out your local farmer's markets! A simple Google search (farmer's market+your town name) can turn up previously-undiscovered markets, as well as stores that carry local produce and free-range local meats and eggs. Also, farmer's markets are often mentioned in newspapers and are highlighted on the news, so check your local news sources. Also, there is this handy resource: Local harvest (a map of farmer's markets, family farms, and other sustainably produced food in the United States.)