6 ms·

Have you been to a farmer's market recently?

xeromal 11y ago
Not trying to be snarky, but the majority of farm markets I've been to are overpriced. 6$ for raspberries, 7$ for a hummus. I know we lived in an era of low-quality, cheap food but for people like my family cheap grocers like Walmart are a necessity. My small town for example. https://www.google.com/maps/search/grocery+stores+near+Ellijay,+GA/@34.6879091,-84.5081625,14z/data=!3m1!4b1 https://www.google.com/maps/search/grocery+stores+near+Ellij... These days it has grown a bit, but Walmart is a very important part of the community. Before Amazon, it was the one stop shop for food, guns, toys, toiletries and other categories.
- bluejekyll 11y ago
  > guns, toys I can't believe I just saw that in the same sentence. Perhaps the guns leaving town is a good thing. Farmers markets can be more expensive, but I generally find the food to be of higher quality, and that money tends to go directly into the community. Also, on the food thread, there are some things that people used to make at home and can significantly reduce overall food costs. Yogurt, as an example, can be made at home (easily) and is less than 25% of the cost. Humus can also be made easily and at lower cost at home.
  - douche 11y ago
    The sporting goods section is always right between the automotive and toy sections in a Walmart.
  - bluejekyll 11y ago
    Out of curiosity, am I getting downvoted on this bc of the gun comment, or the idea that people can save money on food by making more at home?
- bashinator 11y ago
  How does the price of actual produce compare? Raspberries are a luxury crop, and hummus is processed. How about lettuce, tomatoes, bok choi, herbs, fruit, etc? At my farmers' market, the produce is significantly less expensive than at the grocery store, and far tastier.
  - ghaff 11y ago
    I think it depends. In the summer, I shop at local farmstands and farmers' markets. They often have wonderful stuff but they're typically more expensive than the grocery store.
  - thaumasiotes 11y ago
    What makes raspberries more of a luxury than "fruit"?
    - caf 11y ago
      Compared to something like apples or oranges, raspberries are land-intensive to grow; very expensive to pick and pack; fragile; and have a short shelf life. Fresh raspberries have always in my experience been expensive items. (Frozen, less so, because it mitigates some of those issues).
- kaitai 11y ago
  Depends where you are and which ones you go to. One "flagship" farmer's market in town sells pastries and yellow strawberries and artisanal jam, while the other takes food stamps and sells rutabagas and bok choi and chinese broccoli and chard and squash. 2$ for a veggie bunch, $5 for two trays of mix&match green beans, carrots, tomatoes. I can go there with $20 and come back with more food than 2 people could eat in a week if I don't buy meat. They've chosen different markets to target.
dghughes 11y ago
Yes I live in a small farming and fishing area also with a history of immigrants so it's quite a mix. http://charlottetownfarmersmarket.weebly.com/ http://charlottetownfarmersmarket.weebly.com/ I mean more of a mix of food and also everyday products as much as possible from the surrounding area. Whatever isn't possible would come from outside the region.

Not trying to be snarky, but the majority of farm markets I've been to are overpriced. 6$ for raspberries, 7$ for a hummus. I know we lived in an era of low-quality, cheap food but for people like my family cheap grocers like Walmart are a necessity. My small town for example. https://www.google.com/maps/search/grocery+stores+near+Ellijay,+GA/@34.6879091,-84.5081625,14z/data=!3m1!4b1 https://www.google.com/maps/search/grocery+stores+near+Ellij... These days it has grown a bit, but Walmart is a very important part of the community. Before Amazon, it was the one stop shop for food, guns, toys, toiletries and other categories.

bluejekyll 11y ago
> guns, toys I can't believe I just saw that in the same sentence. Perhaps the guns leaving town is a good thing. Farmers markets can be more expensive, but I generally find the food to be of higher quality, and that money tends to go directly into the community. Also, on the food thread, there are some things that people used to make at home and can significantly reduce overall food costs. Yogurt, as an example, can be made at home (easily) and is less than 25% of the cost. Humus can also be made easily and at lower cost at home.
- douche 11y ago
  The sporting goods section is always right between the automotive and toy sections in a Walmart.
- bluejekyll 11y ago
  Out of curiosity, am I getting downvoted on this bc of the gun comment, or the idea that people can save money on food by making more at home?
bashinator 11y ago
How does the price of actual produce compare? Raspberries are a luxury crop, and hummus is processed. How about lettuce, tomatoes, bok choi, herbs, fruit, etc? At my farmers' market, the produce is significantly less expensive than at the grocery store, and far tastier.
- ghaff 11y ago
  I think it depends. In the summer, I shop at local farmstands and farmers' markets. They often have wonderful stuff but they're typically more expensive than the grocery store.
- thaumasiotes 11y ago
  What makes raspberries more of a luxury than "fruit"?
  - caf 11y ago
    Compared to something like apples or oranges, raspberries are land-intensive to grow; very expensive to pick and pack; fragile; and have a short shelf life. Fresh raspberries have always in my experience been expensive items. (Frozen, less so, because it mitigates some of those issues).
kaitai 11y ago
Depends where you are and which ones you go to. One "flagship" farmer's market in town sells pastries and yellow strawberries and artisanal jam, while the other takes food stamps and sells rutabagas and bok choi and chinese broccoli and chard and squash. 2$ for a veggie bunch, $5 for two trays of mix&match green beans, carrots, tomatoes. I can go there with $20 and come back with more food than 2 people could eat in a week if I don't buy meat. They've chosen different markets to target.

dghughes 11y ago

Yes I live in a small farming and fishing area also with a history of immigrants so it's quite a mix. http://charlottetownfarmersmarket.weebly.com/ http://charlottetownfarmersmarket.weebly.com/ I mean more of a mix of food and also everyday products as much as possible from the surrounding area. Whatever isn't possible would come from outside the region.