Do you have a farmers' market in your town? We do. We're so lucky to have it there, down by docks, nestled into the pavilion, which is surrounded every Saturday morning by canopies seeming to sprout from the very pavement. There's nothing like sauntering past the stalls of tantilizing foods and beautiful crafts in the fresh summer breezes off the bay. People come by boat, car, bike and on foot to enjoy these special goods.
Today we bought butter tarts, fresh basil, raspberry-apple crisp, Ying-Yang hummus dip (half garlic/half roasted red pepper), organic ground beef, meat pies, Jamacian meat patties, elk pepperettes (the hot ones), berries, and more. Another great thing about an outdoor market is that you don't have to leave the dog in the car. (Although you do have to scoop.) ;o) I not only LOVE getting hold of high-quality, healthy, locally grown/made goods, I enjoy supporting the local economy by shopping at the markets and downtown businesses, instead of the big box stores. I like that the small businesses will order what I want, instead of telling me what I must settle for (because it's what they carry). And I like that they don't lie to me about their goods being organic (as the big box store here has been caught doing), and they don't presume to censor the goods (like music) available to my family. OK, it costs me a bit more, but that's because the local stores and markets can't artificially lower their prices in an effort to crush the competition. They don't need to. I don't want temporarily artificial prices that I know will skyrocket once the competition is out of the way. I just want fair prices. And so I choose to give my business to local small entrepreneurs.
Overall, it's economically better for my community than those no-benefits, minium wage jobs at the box store.
Where do you shop?
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