Reflections on the St. George Farmers Market

Farmers' markets are one of my favorite activity for a quiet Saturday morning. I like the lazy walk through the streets, people watching, and meandering through the crowds. I like the street music and the site of fresh local produce stacked on shaded tables straight off the bed of a pickup truck (...or out of a van). I like the feeling of both community and anonymity.

Today being a quiet Saturday morning (I have been to Salt Lake City, Red Rocks, and the Grand Canyon in the last three weeks and I'm pretty well exhausted), I struck out to find the St. George farmers market, of which I had heard rumors.

The site was pathetic.

I walked the tiny circle of booths once and was about to leave when I thought to myself, If I don't buy anything here, it's the same as if I didn't come. These people are trying to provide something this community clearly is not embracing, and this is a situation in which my money is the best way to support what I believe in. I doubled back on the meager offerings and, in the end, was quite pleased with my find of local organic oranges, fresh peas, cage free eggs, and a moist, delicious loaf of homemade sunflower bread.

With most things I buy in life, the thing is for some purpose and my money is a means to an end. They say consumers have power, but I usually feel as though my money is dropped unnoticed into a black hole. Except at a farmers market. Nothing makes me feel so powerful as a consumer as handing my food dollars directly to the people who produced my food, not to mention connected and knowledgeable about my consumption. This is one of the very few places I feel as though how I choose to spend my money actually makes a difference.




Tips for the farmers market:

* walk the market end to end before making any hasty purchases; this way you have a good idea of what is being sold that week and what the going price is
* bring small bills and change; as the day progresses, farmers may be less able to break your $20
* bring reused plastic bags to put loose or wet produce in; this save farmers from having to provide bags for you

** I usually have a spare dollar or two in my pocket for my favorite street performer