To Market, To Market, To See A Fat Prig
Perhaps I live in a bubble. Perhaps I have just been incredibly lucky in many ways. Farmers Markets have, in one way or another, been a part of my life. And no, before you go thinking that I was some sort of market stall brat at the hems of my farming parents, nope…I grew up in middle-class suburbia on Wonder-Bread and Yodels.
Both my parents were children of the Depression. Both were farm kids from large families. I am fortunate that farming is in my heritage, although far from the manicured lawns, oriental carpets and Hepplewhite days of my upbringing. These things aside, I grew up on the outskirts of a rural community and could bike through farmer’s fields as a short-cut to school. As a teen, my summers were spent picking crops for local farmers who generally sold them from farm stands at the corners of their properties.
When I was much younger–in the early 70’s–my mother participated in a food co-op. These buyers clubs are quite common now, but as I think back on it now, it was very odd back then. Once a month we would go to the city warehouse district and buy produce from vendors and bring items back home to share out among neighbors. Deep in suburbia, this didn’t last too long, but long enough to leave an impression on me. The trip to the terminal, the divvying up of goods. It was odd, yet some how normal. These were housewives taking charge of their budget and food in an old-school way, long before it was out of fashion or an acceptable norm.
When I was in the Fifth Grade, my teacher, Mr. Sturgeon, was a farmer. Our maths lessons in April and May revolved around laying out a garden and placing an fictitious order from the Burpee seed catalogue. That summer he invited us to his farm for a class picnic. It was rural, idyllic and wonderful. Rows of corn, the soft fruits, and other crops. I don’t remember what we ate exactly, but it was mostly from his small farm. Rare. Many times that summer my mother and I would visit Mr. Sturgeon at his stall in the Hartford Farmers’ Market near the center of the city. It was the mid-70’s.
Throughout college, I was fortunate to live in the countryside outside my university and regularly bought food at farm stands and weekend markets. Produce, rabbit, berries–it was all part of living cheaply and exercising a lifetime of habit. When I traveled to Ireland, the second time, I leapt at an opportunity to work the occasional day at a small farmers’ market during the winter months. Set up in a vacant lot, adjacent to the local supermarket, the Midleton Farmers’ Market is always well attended and has an amazing amount of variety throughout the year. To me it has become the epitome of what, at the very least, a market should be.
Against this backdrop, then, I read with growing ire, this article about how to avoid the pitfalls of farmers’ markets and their cheating ways. Now, I am not blind to the faults of farmers’ markets. I have been to good, bad, and horrid markets in many places. I have written before about what I feel makes a good stand, and how customers and producers need to help each other. The Smart Money article portrays the range of farmers’ markets as something to avoid. This is not good. Obtuse writing like this does a great deal too much to harm good farmers and good markets everywhere. The Every Kitchen Table blog does a good job countering some of the worst flaws in the piece, item by item.
To be sure, there are some Farmers’ Markets which pander to the lowest common denominator. Slyly trying to trick customers into thinking their food is fresh, local, organic and grown by small farmers when it is not. These markets, I hope, are few and far between and easily identifiable by the complete absence of knowledgeable, farming, sellers. Sure, it is a bit of a hassle to, as a consumer, have to weed out the good and bad producers at each market you visit. But isn’t that part of the mystery of sourcing your own food? Or is that, perhaps, the point? That consumers are really just looking to replace their supermarket experience with the feel-good greenness of a farmers’ market, in as painless and simple a way as possible? Ms. Barron seems to think so. Other markets have become the elite dens of Foodies and the well heeled, there to see and be seen. These places have there own buzz and are worth the visit, but are not for the everyday.
There are bound to be bumps in the road to forging a new, local, food system. One in which quality ingredients are the centerpiece and not big name farmers, chefs and raconteurs. It is going to take consumers some getting used to. Slowing down, paying attention to ingredients, quality, and flavors is not a bad thing. Learning about vegetables, growing conditions, variations, varieties and seasonality can only make us better cooks and better people. The key is openness. And farmers, producers, agriculture interns working at farmers’ markets….If you are only there to make money, then find another outlet for your wares. You will never make it. The Farmers’ Market cuts out the middle-man, replaces the warehouse and supermarket buyers protection. When you are at the market selling, you are on stage. If you don’t want to engage customers, talk the talk and show your passion, then you will be at a loss. Either find someone else to do your marketing or pack it in. As a chef I have looked over many market stalls with a critical eye. I have asked questions about produce, meats and how to cook them to learn what the producers themselves knew. If the answers aren’t up to scratch I buy from someone else–sorry. Lost sale. You should be willing to have samples of your foods for people to try–and yes, there will be those annoying people who come to make a meal of your freebies and never buy anything. Suck it up. If your market won’t allow samples, find somewhere else that will. Customers will want to try before they buy and your wares had better be up to snuff. Be prepared to answer questions about your farm, how you grow, and what you do for fun. Be prepared to invite people back to see your system of production. If you find the customers annoying, a hassle or you don’t want strangers tramping about your farm, you are in the wrong place and the wrong business. Transparency isn’t an apple variety–it’s a way of succeeding at business.
Another thing I find odd is someone who complains about the picking, packing and driving, to get their goods to the market. You do want to sell this stuff don’t you? You are looking to get a better price than selling it wholesale aren’t you? Don’t complain or seem to complain to the customers. Talk with pride about what you do. “I was up at dawn cutting these asparagus so you could have the freshest available. Try some, isn’t it worth the price? Have another dozen spears….” As a market producer, stall holder, whatever you are calling yourself, you should be looking to organize with the other producers at the market or the market board to make sure the market is advertised correctly. That it remains a Farmers’ Market and not some quasi-vegetable fueled craft fair–unless some of the crafts are made from products from your farm…. The more positive a face Farmers’ Markets have, the more educated the public can become then the less chance articles attacking Farmers’ Markets will have weight.
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