Fat Free vs Farm Fresh

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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    Orphia wrote: »
    mccindy72 wrote: »
    Orphia wrote: »
    Farmers market food can often be worse for the environment in that it's often shipped in small amounts and produced in locations out of season so it requires more fuel, water, heating, fertilizers and pesticides than if the food was grown in bulk in season and shipped in bulk.

    Depending on where the farmers' markets are, but ours here are all local farmers who grow their produce in the area, in season. We all know what we want and have to wait until the products are ready and we can get them! It seems to take forever for the fingerling potatoes to come around each summer. Ours are mostly local Hmong growers.

    Even if the food is in season, it's small quantities. This can mean 5 farmers road trips to the market for 5 basketfuls instead of one truckload.

    But what if those farmers where going to the market anyway, to buy produce for themselves (as by the very nature of these markets they are visited by 'local people') and take the baskets of produce with them, surely this way they become the most environmentally friendly. As they are not using any additional fuel and therefore leaving no carbon footprint!

    I seriously doubt that growing food out of season and shipping small amounts far away is the norm for farmer's markets.

    I seriously doubt the actual farmers are the ones at the markets selling them. I should think they are more likely individuals that visit food markets, in the wee hours of the morning, purchasing the produce they think they can sell for that day at the local markets.

    The produce that is sold 'out of season' is shipped bulk to food markets.

    The nearest town to me is fairly small, but at the farmer's marker there it usually is the family selling them. And they have signs naming the farm and the country it's in. I suspect the signs are because some of the farms are in a neighboring state (we're near the state border) and they are hoping to get the "spend your money in our state" edge.

    But your description may be correct for bigger cities.

    But I bet the local farmers that are there are selling there 'in season' produce and not 'out of season' produce they have shipped in!

    Yes, definitely. Our farmer's market isn't even open all year.

    Ours is open as long as there is something to sell. Generally it starts in late April and goes through late October.

    That's about what ours is also, though after late August about all you find is pumpkins and mums.

    Our big one just recently went to all year (every other week in the winter), but the selection, as one can imagine, isn't great and focuses largely on meat/eggs and canned stuff, dried beans, oats, stuff like that.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Orphia wrote: »
    mccindy72 wrote: »
    Orphia wrote: »
    Farmers market food can often be worse for the environment in that it's often shipped in small amounts and produced in locations out of season so it requires more fuel, water, heating, fertilizers and pesticides than if the food was grown in bulk in season and shipped in bulk.

    Depending on where the farmers' markets are, but ours here are all local farmers who grow their produce in the area, in season. We all know what we want and have to wait until the products are ready and we can get them! It seems to take forever for the fingerling potatoes to come around each summer. Ours are mostly local Hmong growers.

    Even if the food is in season, it's small quantities. This can mean 5 farmers road trips to the market for 5 basketfuls instead of one truckload.

    But what if those farmers where going to the market anyway, to buy produce for themselves (as by the very nature of these markets they are visited by 'local people') and take the baskets of produce with them, surely this way they become the most environmentally friendly. As they are not using any additional fuel and therefore leaving no carbon footprint!

    I seriously doubt that growing food out of season and shipping small amounts far away is the norm for farmer's markets.

    I seriously doubt the actual farmers are the ones at the markets selling them. I should think they are more likely individuals that visit food markets, in the wee hours of the morning, purchasing the produce they think they can sell for that day at the local markets.

    The produce that is sold 'out of season' is shipped bulk to food markets.

    The nearest town to me is fairly small, but at the farmer's marker there it usually is the family selling them. And they have signs naming the farm and the country it's in. I suspect the signs are because some of the farms are in a neighboring state (we're near the state border) and they are hoping to get the "spend your money in our state" edge.

    But your description may be correct for bigger cities.

    But I bet the local farmers that are there are selling there 'in season' produce and not 'out of season' produce they have shipped in!

    Yes, definitely. Our farmer's market isn't even open all year.

    Ours is open as long as there is something to sell. Generally it starts in late April and goes through late October.

    That's about what ours is also, though after late August about all you find is pumpkins and mums.

    Our big one just recently went to all year (every other week in the winter), but the selection, as one can imagine, isn't great and focuses largely on meat/eggs and canned stuff, dried beans, oats, stuff like that.

    No winter squash? I'm always surprised at how few winter squash are for sale at our farmer's market considering how well they grow here. If I didn't have a day job I'd be selling my squash there. On only 2 plants I got 13 spaghetti squash.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited August 2015
    Options
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Orphia wrote: »
    mccindy72 wrote: »
    Orphia wrote: »
    Farmers market food can often be worse for the environment in that it's often shipped in small amounts and produced in locations out of season so it requires more fuel, water, heating, fertilizers and pesticides than if the food was grown in bulk in season and shipped in bulk.

    Depending on where the farmers' markets are, but ours here are all local farmers who grow their produce in the area, in season. We all know what we want and have to wait until the products are ready and we can get them! It seems to take forever for the fingerling potatoes to come around each summer. Ours are mostly local Hmong growers.

    Even if the food is in season, it's small quantities. This can mean 5 farmers road trips to the market for 5 basketfuls instead of one truckload.

    But what if those farmers where going to the market anyway, to buy produce for themselves (as by the very nature of these markets they are visited by 'local people') and take the baskets of produce with them, surely this way they become the most environmentally friendly. As they are not using any additional fuel and therefore leaving no carbon footprint!

    I seriously doubt that growing food out of season and shipping small amounts far away is the norm for farmer's markets.

    I seriously doubt the actual farmers are the ones at the markets selling them. I should think they are more likely individuals that visit food markets, in the wee hours of the morning, purchasing the produce they think they can sell for that day at the local markets.

    The produce that is sold 'out of season' is shipped bulk to food markets.

    The nearest town to me is fairly small, but at the farmer's marker there it usually is the family selling them. And they have signs naming the farm and the country it's in. I suspect the signs are because some of the farms are in a neighboring state (we're near the state border) and they are hoping to get the "spend your money in our state" edge.

    But your description may be correct for bigger cities.

    But I bet the local farmers that are there are selling there 'in season' produce and not 'out of season' produce they have shipped in!

    Yes, definitely. Our farmer's market isn't even open all year.

    Ours is open as long as there is something to sell. Generally it starts in late April and goes through late October.

    That's about what ours is also, though after late August about all you find is pumpkins and mums.

    Our big one just recently went to all year (every other week in the winter), but the selection, as one can imagine, isn't great and focuses largely on meat/eggs and canned stuff, dried beans, oats, stuff like that.

    No winter squash? I'm always surprised at how few winter squash are for sale at our farmer's market considering how well they grow here. If I didn't have a day job I'd be selling my squash there. On only 2 plants I got 13 spaghetti squash.

    Depends on when. In early December, yes, by January, nope. You do get cellared root vegetables and apples, if memory serves.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Illinois also has the horseradish capital of the world (http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/illinois/life/deep-roots-collinsville-s-long-lasting-claim-to-horseradish-capital/article_0606019a-83fb-5038-98c6-7eb9b72a1daf.html), although it's actually in the St. Louis metro area (and is also home to the world's largish ketchup bottle, which MO can claim if they want).

    Wisconsin, however, has the Mustard Museum (http://mustardmuseum.com/) in addition to all the cheese.

    Ever attended Poupon-U ????????????

    No, but it is now high on things on my list of things I want to do. Yet another reason to get back up to WI.

    Don't forget to tour the Jelly Belly factory!