I know people who despise tomatoes. Can you really blame them? They are picked while still green on the vine to later be dyed a deep red so that buyers think they are actually ripe. Tomatoes are nothing more than false advertisement. Each time you buy a tomato, you think that this will be the one that will knock your socks off. And each time, all you get is a mealy, tasteless ball of blah. Sure the tomato is an easy target, but most fruits and vegetables are equally disappointing when you buy them at the grocery store.
I realize this isn't breaking news. The mantra of almost every liberal and every enlightened conservative seems to be "Eat Local." So what better place to find local produce than at your local farmer's market. And that usually holds true, unless you live in Dallas. I will tell you right now, I have no interest in buying from the guy who has never stepped foot on a farm who is schlepping dole bananas at the Dallas Farmer's Market for Whole Food prices. These folks are just taking advantage of the "Eat Local" phenomenon. And for all of you trendy Dallasites who somehow convince yourself that a Dole banana must have been grown somewhere in Collin County -- well frankly, you deserve what you get.
But there are other options. There are "illegal" farmers markets and community gardens cropping up all over Dallas. That's right, many of these are not permitted under the Dallas Zoning Ordinance. You won't get in trouble for shopping there, but if you are selling, you may be looking at a fine ranging from $500-2000. There are also farms around Dallas that will allow you to pick your own produce.
Here are some helpful links to find the farms and community gardens in the Dallas area. Make sure you contact them before you go out there.
Farmer's Markets in Dallas:
http://lakewood.advocatemag.com/2010/03/its-a-farmers-market-out-there/
"Pick-Your-Own" Farms around Dallas:
http ://www.pickyourown.org/TXdallas.htm#listingsheaplikemeblog.com/
Community Gardens in Dallas
http://www.gardendallas.org/Area%20Gardens2.htm
I've been buying organic, but I haven't taken advantage of locally grown produce because until recently I was only acquainted with the Farmer's Market. As you said, the majority of the sellers are not local farmers; my parents have witnessed the buyers get their stock from the wholesalers across the street at dawn, marking up the prices (as would be expected) to resell to individuals.
ReplyDeleteA recent event has inspired me to get locally grown produce. My neighbors asked me to water their yard while they were gone, and my 2 year old daughter dutifully helped me with this task. In their backyard, they have a garden, with herbs, tomatoes, and peppers. My daughter has tried store-bought organic tomatoes several times, spitting them out each time. My neighbors encouraged me to eat their tomatoes while they were gone, so I handed my daughter a small, ripe cherry tomato straight from the vine. Her eyes widened, and she quickly turned back to the plant, looking for more of the red gems. She ate every one.
I had become resigned to the flavorless orbs at the store, but seeing my daughter delight in real thing reminded me what we've been missing. Locally grown from now on, and next year, I'm tackling my own tomato plants!
I love that you are going to start your own vegetable garden. I grew tomatoes last year. This year I have a healthy herb garden with more mint and oregano than I can manage to eat. I wish I had more sun on my lot. Most vegetables are pretty slow-growing. :( Next year, if you start missing tomatoes, it may be me stealing them off the vine while you are sleeping. Happy gardening!
ReplyDelete