Farmers' Market

Photography by Corrie Peterson Glenn and Kirsten Amavisca Sacher at San Clemente Farmers' Market

When Jordi and I came back from our world travels, homeless and broke, we began the long process of looking for jobs and a place to live. One day, on the drive from his parents house in San Diego to my parents house in Orange County, we stopped off the freeway in San Clemente to scope it out. As we drove through the cute downtown, we saw a bright Farmers' Market in the middle of the February gloom. "I could live here," I thought.

And now I do! And I love going to the bustling Farmers' Market in the cute downtown every week, just like I thought I would. Not only does the Market give you an enjoyable reason to meander downtown on a Sunday morning, but it's fun to people watch, look at all the flowers and produce, buy from the local vendors, and especially fun to get a treat from the bread and cookie man at the end of the "line-up" to go with our coffees.

Earlier this week I watched Food Inc., a documentary about American corporate farming and ranching, produced by the authors of A Fast Food Nation. Among many interesting and disturbing details, the movie emphasized the mistreatment of animals, farmers, workers, the environment, and even us, the public, by government subsidized corporations. I could go on and on about how corn is unhealthy for cattle to eat, how a major soy growing company has squashed all little farmers in it's path, how fruit is picked too early and ripened with methane gas, and chickens can't walk because of how hormonally fat they are - all so that we can have tomatoes year round and pay 99 cents a pound for chicken breasts.

But aside from all the facts and details, one practical application I took away from the movie is how important it is to be consciously aware of who I am buying from and what I am actually eating.
Although consumers think that we are at the mercy of what is put in front of us, Food Inc. puts it well when it says that we "vote" when we buy food. If we buy more chicken than we need simply because it's cheap, than they will continue to supply us with cheap chicken (at a cost to the chickens, workers, and environment) and if we want tomatoes year round, they will give them to us (from South America).

Hence, I now like to shop at Farmers' Market for more than it simply being enjoyable - it's casting my vote. Buying a delicious chocolate covered macaroon is fun, but now I try to make sure I have enough cash to actually do part of my grocery shopping there - vegetables and fruit that are in season, eggs, honey, bread, nuts, and even amazing vegan tamales!

Unfortunately, Farmers' Markets aren't easily accessible to everyone, and they can be more expensive than some grocery stores as well. These legitimate reasons, along with the time consuming logistical aspects (they usually only take place once a week at a certain time, and only take cash) can prove to be an unpractical way to shop for some.  If there is a market near you though, I recommend visiting and tasting - most vendors offer tastes for free. Although you might get three tomatoes at the grocery store for the price of a homegrown heirloom, you'll find you get five times the enjoyment from the vine-ripened tomato, it will be more nutritious, and the fact that you get to buy it from the farmer him/herself makes it all worth it.

 Even at the grocery store we can be aware of what produce is from our own state, and how the chickens were treated before we eat their eggs. Respect for our own bodies, and respect for the animals, workers, and environment will hopefully make it easier to pay the extra cents or dollars.
And there's no time like the summer, when fruits and vegetables are bountiful and bursting with flavor, to attempt to buy produce in season offered at the Market. I'm not sure how this endeavor will carry on into the winter months (canned tomatoes? frozen berries?) but local and sustainable food isn't a luxury - it's a choice. One that we make not just for ourselves but for the animals and planet that we live on - and all too often abuse. That cute downtown Farmers' Market can turn into an important interaction!