Farmers’ markets: are they worth it?

Honeycomb from St Kilda Farmers’ market: worth it.

Hopping in your car and going to the St Kilda Farmers’ Market (Peanut Farm Reserve, Chauncer St) this Saturday?

From Salon (via Crikey!):

“Worried about the global warming impact of the fossil fuel consumed by the trucks that bring your tomatoes from hundreds of miles away to your local supermarket? In a life-cycle analysis, the couple of miles that you drive in your car to get to the supermarket and back does proportionally signficantly greater damage. This raises the possibility that it might be better for the world if you biked to the supermarket to pick up tomatoes grown far away, than drive to the nearest farmer’s market to get tomatoes grown on the other side of the hill.“

On the plus side I do walk to the local farmers market rather than drive to South Melbourne or Prahran Market (although I’m cycling more). And the food at the farmers market is local.

On the negative side from the Farmers’ Market I often end up with about 10kg of poor quality peaches that after a couple of days resemble a sinister pile of shrivelled scrotums filling-up my fruit bowl. Often the food is so ripe it is on the turn. This is the opposite problem to the supermarkets where produce sometimes seems to have been mummified and never ripens.
A farmers’ market takes more skill in shoping than a regular market. Instead of asking the reliable and well-known greengrocer what is good we have to self select from the producer who sells direct. Despite my grandfather being in the fruit growing and import business I still find I often fail at this.

But I’m getting to know the local market. I know, for instance, the honeycomb is better than I can buy at any of the council run markets. The fruit and veg isn’t too bad. Ditto the organic eggs or some cheeses.
It is true that I am still learning. The problem is that there is a whole load of stuff that isn’t available and from past experience I know I don’t want to buy from the Farmers’ Market. That means I have to travel to another market anyway, which makes me think: what’s the point?

Food fascist

1. Better quality produce please at Farmers’ Markets. Sometimes, especially with fruit, I get the impression the stuff that nobody else will buy is being pushed.

2. Coles for sale. Please, please Tesco buy the Coles supermarket chain. I rarely visit these places but I do have fond memories of Tesco (and Sainsbury’s) from the UK. Somehow the quality and the ambience seems better at Tesco. If some investment banker out there is reading this, this idea is for free.

3. Bike parking. Councils please sort out some proper bike parking at markets. I usually have to chain up against a pole. Did you think about this when you refurbished South Melbourne Market?

4. Leave the car at home. Shopping too heavy? Visit Hanoi where a whole family plus a washing machine can fit on a bicycle.