The “New” Local Store

March 29th, 2010 | Author: The Cool Cook

Even if you don’t live in Portland – or the USA itself for that matter – the chances are a farmer’s market is on its way to you. They are growing rapidly in Australia, for example. This is no protest movement, this is real people demanding real produce from real farmers at realistic prices. And for the farmers it’s a new lease on life, unshackled from the giant supermarkets’ price squeezes.

Am I alone in finding it extraordinary that here we are in 2010 winding back the clock a hundred years or more? If you have the facility and if you can afford it, support these markets. The food is on the whole fresher, the produce often tastes a whole lot better and you are helping to maintain your community.

The Farmers Market from a Farmer’s Perspective

via Cooking Up a Story by Cooking Up A Story on 22/03/10

Opening day at the Portland Farmers Market brings thousands of visitors, and customers looking for fresh, local food, drink, music, and just plain fun. But how do the farmers feel about the market, especially the first early morning of the year when they are unloading, and readying their products for sale, and gearing up for their first day of business (and social interactions) at the public market?

Opening Day, Vendors Setting Up, Portland's Farmers Market, March 20, 2010

CUpS showed up in the early morning while the farmers were setting up, and they were gracious enough to answer a few of our questions. I have to say, this is certainly a pleasurable way to spend a few hours, and also meet with a friend, Tara Austen Weaver, author of the new book, The Butcher and the Vegetarian: One Woman’s Romp Through a World of Men, Meat, and Moral Crisis who we also interviewed for an upcoming Food News show.

You may want to check if the farmers market has opened up in your area. What a great way to welcome in the Spring season!