Comments on: Farmers Markets Are Pure Love

by: holz

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:43:00 +0000

we’ve found that most of these markets around seattle are more about the sale and connsumption of trinkets and crap than things of value and farm products, unfortunately.

by: Brian

Tue, 27 May 2008 18:57:15 +0000

There are a lot of thinks I simply will not buy at a supermarket because their products taste awful. Strawberries, for example. I can stop by the local Hmong-owned family farm and eat juicy, flavorful, fresh berries…or I can eat styrofoam pellets. Same with cherries (Cherry season is here! I ended up buying $7 worth Saturday!).

On the other hand, I prefer factory farmed big mega-sized Thompson grapes (hangs head)

by: Dan Staley

Sun, 25 May 2008 15:18:14 +0000

Yesterday we enjoyed a visit from an Afro-Caribbean (gosh, I hope that’s the correct phrase) neighbor up the street. She was looking at our garden & comparing what she was growing. Both of our families go to the Farmers Market for things like corn, melons, apples, stuff we don’t grow. But she was complaining yesterday about the price.

My impression is like Pollan’s in In Defense of Food: the perceived price is higher, but when comparing prices at the perimeter of the store (where you should purchase products, not in the center of the store where everything is highly processed and highly-packaged [for value-added greater margins]), the prices aren’t that much higher, and you get to talk to people.

by: Jason

Sun, 25 May 2008 00:52:37 +0000

At an event at my office, a farmer’s market rep claimed that farmer’s markets are actually cheaper than conventional grocery stores. Of course that’s just an apples-to-apples comparison, no pun intended. Most of what you find at a grocery store isn’t available at farmer’s markets, and most of the cheap stuff at grocery stores isn’t healthy at all.

by: Renee

Sat, 24 May 2008 18:45:51 +0000

Dan -

Regarding the price of farmers markets - many Seattle farmers markets accept food vouchers and they donate leftover food to local food banks. And, they do a lot of outreach so that those who use food voucher programs know they can use their benefits at the markets.