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
