tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post759832118968664613..comments2024-03-26T22:16:26.572-04:00Comments on Terrierman's Daily Dose: Farmer's Market LocavoresPBurnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05781540805883519064noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-19126816788878268282015-07-19T17:23:53.149-04:002015-07-19T17:23:53.149-04:00Another manifestation of the healthy-food fad is t...Another manifestation of the healthy-food fad is the “farmers market”. Over the past 10 years, farmers' markets have sprung up by the hundreds in little back-road towns everywhere, and especially in my southern New England area, using "Buy Local!" as their motto. It appears to be working, but in ways not expected. <br /><br />Well-heeled suburbanites have been buying up old farms, pruning the old apple trees, planting small orchards, a few blueberry bushes, and a few rows of tomatos, sweet corn and, of course, pumpkins for the kiddies. In my home town in eastern Connecticut there is a farmers' market every Saturday morning in the late spring through mid fall. And it's a giant scam, because about 80% or more of the food is not local at all as evidence has shown. <br /><br />During market season one of the biggest "farmers" puts out for trash pick-up every week during farmers' market months a pile of boxes from tomatoes, beans, lettuce, etc. etc. that were grown in the southern USA and Central America. I once followed another "farm" truck laden down with produce from the commercial farmers' market in Hartford which provides wholesale produce from Mexico, Guatemala, etc. - but not Connecticut. <br /><br />My favorite "local" scam farmer had a giant refrigerated cold-room where there were stacks upon stacks of peaches in crates. In addition, there were gas tanks, probably filled with ethylene, the ripening gas used by commercial farms to cure un-ripe fruit. This same farmer was bold enough to unload in his sales barn - in full view of his customers - sacks of corn that had sewn-on labels with clearly printed "Grown in Pennsylvania." I commented that the sign on the corn table said Fresh from our Fields! He replied "I just use bags from a Pennsylvania farm that went out of business. When I further commented that the bags had been sewn shut - Did he have a sewing machine in the fields? he just gave me the hairy eyeball. But a couple of customers left without buying anything after they heard the exchange.<br /><br />With the increasing globalization of food there's not much chance we are getting anything but commercially grown stuff unless you pick it yourself. Organic or just plain-old supermarket fare is a product of huge commercial farms, and people need to wise up and realize it. Eating “woo” is expensive and very unpalatable.Olde New Englandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09397384097494331275noreply@blogger.com