We didn’t really have farmer’s markets in San Antonio, so I didn’t know what I was missing until I moved to Ohio. Last year, we sometimes spent Saturday mornings biking up to the Clintonville’s farmer’s market and fighting crowds to buy the tiny, dense strawberries or some exotic squash I’d never before seen. This year, my husband and I decided to buy a CSA (community supported agriculture) share, and we pick it up every Saturday morning at North Market.
So Saturdays are quickly becoming my favorite day of the week. I love getting up early and either catching the bus or riding our bikes downtown (we tried to drive once and parking on Saturday morning at North Market is not advised). Our share is made up of whatever is ready to be harvested on our farm that week, and yes, we’ve started thinking of it as “our farm” even though we’ve never been within ten miles of it.
Because we don’t get to choose what we’re getting, we end up with a lot of stuff that we honestly have no idea what to do with, but a few good cookbooks have helped us, and we’re having the best time trying things like broccoli rabe or scarlet queen turnips. And it really is all new to me – before last week, I had never eaten peas that hadn’t come out of a silver can.
Whenever I talk to my Ohio friends about how lucky they are to get such great food in the summer, they tell me it’s nothing unusual, but it is. You can tell in the grocery stores here; there are no melons or corn in January, and when there’s snow on the ground, you can buy strawberries but you’re going to pay for them. In San Antonio, the strawberries you buy in May and June are the same ones you buy all year long – big California strawberries whose red color is only skin deep.
It took a lot of effort to convince my husband to invest in the CSA share, and it’s not without risk, because if something happens to “our farm”, some drought or flood or blight, we lose our investment. But so far it has been absolutely worth it. We’ve eaten so well, and so nutritiously and responsibly, and for a lot less than we would pay if we bought everything individually every week. And what a novel thing for us that we know where our food came from. If you’re from Ohio, you’re already used to this.
What are your favorite farmer’s markets in the area, and what are the best things to buy?
July 11, 2009 at 3:30 pm |
I really like the Farmer’s Market on Satuday mornings in Sunbury. The town itself is darling and the center “town square” is a beautiful tree-covered spot for their Farmer’s Market from 9-noon. Every week we buy fresh lettuce, basil, fresh herbs, summer squash and one of the “farmers” (vendors) has very unusual heirloom tomatoes and peppers (things, I have never seen, except in Martha Stewart’s magazine). There is also a vendor who sells fresh pestso right from their garden (it is the best I have ever had ANYWHERE). There are also artisan bakers there who sell fresh baked goods and home-made jams and jellies.
One of the things that I really like about the Sunbury Farmer’s Market is that apparently their senior citizens are given free vouchers to get fresh produce and baked goods (I think 10 dollars worth or so) and the vendors get reimbursed by some program, for taking the vouchers as payment. I just really want to support any effort to help seniors get fresh produce, when maybe they are unable to have a garden themselves…I’d love to see that expanded to needy families with children.
July 13, 2009 at 2:42 pm |
Hi. Grove City has a great farmer’s market on Saturday mornings. My favorite things to buy are whatever is in season. I search for recipes online & try new things. Two weeks ago I went to the Athens farmer’s market for the first time. It is a bit of drive, but it was on my way to something else I was doing that day. It was a wonderful market, lots of fresh, organically grown fruits & veggies, live plants, baked goods, etc… Would make a nice day trip combined with some hiking in Hocking Hills. Best wishes for your farmer’s markets adventures!
July 21, 2009 at 8:15 pm |
Thanks for the suggestions! Because we pick up our share every Saturday morning, we probably can’t do another market during the same time slot, although these both sound great! I’ve also heard that Worthington’s is really fun and has lots of good produce. But the pesto sounds really intriguing…
I’ve also been told that some farms do pick-your-own type things and that my son would enjoy this…