10 Things Your Farmer's Market Won't Tell You

[Guest guest]

10 Things Your

Farmer's Market Won't Tell You

By Kelly

Barron

1.

" You may not shop here, but your tax dollars support our market. "

Farmer's markets aren't just quaint hallmarks of rural America; they've become

de rigueur resources for many consumers of fresh produce. Over the past decade,

the number of farmer's markets in the U.S. has more than doubled, to 3,700, as

consumer demand for local and seasonally fresh food — as well as the push for

new outlets for struggling farmers — has stoked growth. So have your tax

dollars.

 

Since the early 1990s, the Agricultural Marketing Services division of the USDA

has been actively spawning new markets, providing feasibility studies,

architectural designs and marketing gewgaws such as farmer's market coloring

books. The support comes out of the government's desire to assist smaller

farms.

 

While it's tough to pin down exactly how much tax revenue goes to farmer's

markets, many do receive some federal, state or municipal support in the form

of grants, subsidized administrators or marketing, according to the USDA. One

perk for consumers: As part of its promotion of farmer's markets nationwide,

the USDA keeps a detailed, state-by-state listing of them here <http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm> .

 

2. " Our produce is

a mite pricey. "

Decades ago farmer's markets sprouted in cities to combat the suburban flight

of grocery stores and to supply low-income residents with inexpensive, fresh

produce. These days, though, many farmer's markets cater to the urban elite.

 

 

" The idea that you can get food cheaper at a farmer's market is ancient

history, " says Al Courchesne, owner of Frog Hollow Farms in Brentwood,

Calif. Courchesne's organic peaches fetch $3.50 to $4 a pound at markets in the

Bay Area, anywhere from 15 to 33 percent more than conventional peaches cost at

supermarkets on the West and East coasts.

 

Why the premium? Small farmer's market growers often can't compete with the

prices of major grocery chains, which have become ever more cost-competitive in

the age of Wal-Mart and other big consolidators. Farmers also say the price is

more than compensated for by quality. Supermarkets pick fruit and vegetable

varieties for their ability to survive thousands of miles of transportation.

Supermarket fruit is also picked well before it's ripe, Courchesne says, a

process that allows it to last longer, but that has the side effect of

lessening the sugar content that makes vine-ripened fruit sweeter.

 

3. " These 'local'

tomatoes have more SkyMiles than Derek Jeter. "

Katie Decker, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Agriculture, says

farmers eager to make a bigger profit have been known to buy produce wholesale,

say it was from their land and take the markup at market. And some farm stands

have been known to bring in fruit and vegetables from other regions and sell it

as " locally grown. "

 

While few farmer's markets have the resources to police the pedigrees of

peaches and plums, some states and larger markets employ tougher policies than

others. Greenmarket, which operates farmer's markets at 40 locations in New

York City, requires vendors to grow produce within a 170-mile radius of the

city and demands that farmers file detailed crop plans. If a farmer shows up

with two trucks of corn from a single planned acre, inspectors know those ears

aren't homegrown.

 

To get the real deal, frequent markets that bill themselves as " producer

only. " And get to know the farmers. Ellie Josephs, a die-hard market-goer

in Venice, Calif., says she knew one vendor well enough to tell when he was

pawning off second-rate fruit and saving his premium goods for another market.

 

4. " You don't know

from ripe fruit. "

Fire-engine red apples and oranges round as softballs all stacked in pristine

pyramids down at the local supermarket have trained consumers to expect perfect

produce. But farm-fresh fruits and vegetables come in all colors, shapes and

sizes. " People aren't used to vine-ripened produce, " says Randii

MacNear, head of the California Federation of Certified Farmers' Markets.

Ultrafresh produce can be more perishable as well. It took Portland, Ore.,

resident Ev Hu several pints of moldy strawberries to realize she needed to eat

her farmer's market berries within a day.

 

Fortunately, there are some handy tips to guide you through the stands. No. 1:

Look for fruit with bird pecks. Vance Corum, a farmer's market consultant based

in Vancouver, Wash., says birds know which fruit has the highest sugar content.

Other gems: A fresh artichoke will squeak when you rub it with a finger; a

green bean should stick to your clothes when it's fresh.

 

Some markets are helping to educate city dwellers online — the West L.A.

Farmer's Market & Community Fair in Los Angeles posts fact sheets on its

Web site, such as " Asian Vegetables 101. " And many fruits, vegetables

and herbs have national boards that host sites on how to pick and cook fresh

produce.

 

5. " A little dirt

on our carrots doesn't mean they're organic. "

Fresh doesn't mean organic. Ever since the USDA implemented the National

Organic Program three years ago, farmers who claim they're organic are required

by law to meet uniform standards for growing produce without synthetic

pesticides and fertilizers. But few farmers, even those at folksy farmer's

markets, are certified organic.

 

" As a general rule, most produce at farmer's markets is conventionally

grown, " says Anthony Piccola, an organic tomato farmer near Austin, Texas.

 

Nationwide, only 12,000 farms out of 2.13 million have certification, according

to the Organic Farming Research Foundation in Santa Cruz, Calif. But some

farmers do claim they're organic when they're not, Piccola says. They might

also use terms such as " natural " or " hormone-free " to imply

organic status.

 

How does a shopper know whether a farmer is truly organic? Ask. Chicago

resident Barbara Aitcheson passed on apples at her local market after the

vendor told her they were sprayed with pesticides. However, there may be a

legitimate reason a farmer isn't certified: Those who take in less than $5,000

from organic sales annually aren't required to be certified to say they're

organic.

 

 

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