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Before I became an avid Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market devotee, I spent a fair amount of time at the Piedmont Triad Farmer's Market. I liked that they're open everyday and the selection is pretty good. J&S Farm in the back of the enclosed building also sells local, humanely raised meats like ostrich, bison and the turkey we have for Thanksgiving most years (last year the turkeys weren't grown in time and we ended up at the Fresh Market).
I rarely go there anymore for a couple of reasons:
- There’s a fair amount of resale there, as in vendors going to wholesale produce warehouses and buying veggies to sell at a farmers’ market… which strikes me as a little dishonest and just not what I’m looking for. I shop at farmers’ markets because I want to support the local farmers themselves and I want to know that my food was raised on a small farm which has a better chance of using sustainable farming methods than on the agribusiness mono-farming complexes. GFCM doesn’t allow resale except in the winter when there’s not much local to be had.
- The ambiance. The GFCM is crowded and small, I’ll admit. This time of year it’s a real chore to squeeze through the aisles empty-handed, let alone with a week’s worth of produce in tow. (Not that it’s really a problem for me with my faithful man servant to haul my produce stash, a guy I like to call Sweetie.) Despite the crowd, the GFCM is a place to run into friends and get to know other shoppers who are also there every week… as well as the farmers themselves.
I really didn’t start this post to slam the PTFM but to announce their expansion as reported in the News and Record today. Regardless of my shopping preferences, the PTFM has a lot to offer, especially for people breaking into eating locally. And the fact that enough people are getting interested in eating locally to merit an expansion is wonderful!
So go forth and eat locally – spend your food dollars to support our local food economy. It’s the perfect time of year to start!
Do you have any tips for spotting what's "resale" and what's locally grown at the PTFM? I feel like the farmers on the "left" (closer to the enclosed retail building) are more locally grown, but I know some of the places in the building on the right are as well. I just can't get to the curb market easily, and I have felt like I've gotten to know some of the farmers (ie Moon Creek, etc).
I agree with you that's it's frustrating to not be getting "farmer's market" produce at the Farmer's Market! I know a lot of the stuff in the retail building isn't local, but I know we're not famous for avocados in NC! (and Tellez has them for 79 cents each!).
Thanks,
Anne
That's a great question! Just as a matter of knowing my food, I often ask the person at the booth where their farm is and how long they've been farming. While this usually leads to nice banter ("Your farm is in Stokesdale? I used to live up that way!"), it can also tease out the truth tactfully - if the person hems and haws or honestly tells you they resell, you've got your answer. That said, another way to look at it is even if the person is reselling, it's still directing dollars to a local person instead of a supermarket chain.
But, as you mentioned with the avocados, eating locally just isn't something that most of us can do all the time. I, for one, buy pineapple and mangos at Costco like they're going out of style - and forget about giving up coffee!
-Sarah