[Sca-cooks] New Topic - Farmer's Market vs Chain Grocery

[ekoogler1 at comcast.net]

We are very fortunate here in that we have several that we can visit.  There's a huge farmers' market, usually heavily attended by the Amish over in Charles County...there's another Amish market up in Annapolis, but over the past two years, we have one right here in downtown Prince Frederick.  I love it, and patronize it, even if the occasional item costs a tad more (not the usual thing) because I want to see it grow and prosper...we are a county that has historically been a tobacco-growing area and the state, etc. are trying to wean farmers away from tobacco and into other things.  We even have a real butcher and a fishmonger in our market...not to mention an incredible baker.  For the most part, the food is locally grown on truck farms and is wonderful.  One item that we usually can't get at the grocery store are the southern Maryland cantaloupe...they are huge, and very sweet.  Unlike the usual kind, these things are the size of small watermelons, do ot have that green background with the viney overlay that the commercially grown ones have and violate what I was taught as a kid that the smaller ones are sweeter.  We also have access, through the market, to Silver Queen corn and locally grown tomatoes.  Several of the merchants also sell homemade jams, jellies, soaps, etc., etc.  It's a great place!

Kiri


> I went to the State Farmer's Market in Montgomery Monday.  Bought tomatoes (real 
> tomatoes, not pink plastic balls), Chilton County Peaches, Sweet Potatoes, 
> Southern Field Peas, and Baby Lima Beans.  The beans and peas were already 
> shelled in quart bags.  I paid $8.00 per quart.  Today I bought frozen quart 
> bags of locally grown Southern Field Peas and Baby Limas from Food World for 
> $4.00 a bag.  The Chilton County Peaches at Food World were 3/4 the price of the 
> Farmer's Market.  The Sweet Potatoes are also a better price.  All the produce 
> (except the tomatoes) was much better looking at the grocery.  I will probably 
> only return to the Farmer's Market for tomatoes in the future.  
> Has anyone else had a similar or different experience?  
>  
> Mordonna
>  
> Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu> wrote:
> I just checked and no messages in 24 hours.
> So is the list up or not? If it's this quiet, perhaps
> it's time to move onto conversation on Midwestern hot dishes
> and Jell-O salads.
> Our major culinary project of late is the best way to create
> frozen lemonade slushes and ices. Otherwise, it's far too hot to
> cook.
> 
> Johnnae
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> 
> Lady Anne du Bosc
> known as Mordonna the Cook
> Shire of Thorngill, Meridies
> Mundanely, Pat Griffin of Millbrook, AL
>  
> 
> 
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