Greenmarkets for All!

It’s Monday morning. Which means I’m in that post-weekend hangover. And since the air has yet to punch me in the mouth with the endless cold of New York’s winter, my thoughts are drifting back in the direction of the Farmers’ Market.

Since moving to Brooklyn last fall, I’ve changed my eating habits significantly. Most notably, I eat mostly local food. I know, that should be challenging in a bustling city, shouldn’t it? In reality, not so much. Granted, I’m not eating from my neighbor’s garden, but thanks to the Farmers’ Market, I’m eating mostly food produced within the Tri-State area. Really, I’m not joking.

With $40 (the cost of two pizzas), my girlfriend and I can purchase enough food to last us a week. And it seems more folks are joining along my line of thinking. With a bit of help from community organizations and local government, Farmers’ Markets are becoming a viable source of food for people from all walks of life, especially those from lower income communities.

Dig up some carrots after the jump!

Now, I understand full well that there are plenty of myths attached to the Market. The main complaint I’ve always heard about the Market is that they’re expensive, making them prohibitive to only the wealthy sector of the population. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. I prove that theory wrong each week, when I cook five to seven meals with the same amount of money most people spend on a handful of fast food lunches. And my meals feed two of us, and sometimes more when friends swing by (also, I understand that most people are trying to feed families of more than two, but let me put a sidenote in here noting my proclivity for the rarer foods, since I’m a much loathed “foodie”). Plus, on those days where we don’t entertain friends, I have leftovers, which I eat for lunch. Talk about affordable!

OK. Right now, you might be looking at my picture, shaking your head. “Of course HE goes to the Farmers’ Market!” Yes, I know, I’m the exact “type” that would, but that doesn’t mean the Market is limited to only hipsters with thick framed glasses and completist David Bowie vinyl catalogs. And time is telling me that others are starting to see these Markets differently as well. No longer is the Market the home of granola eating hippies and ironic shirt wearing hipster (well, not JUST those types).

In fact, on my recent trips to the Market, I’ve seen the crowd grow more and more diverse. Last week, as I was standing in line to buy the first apples of the season, a woman in front of me used food stamps to buy her farm fresh, local produce. You couldn’t have wiped the smile from my face.

“Using Food Stamps should not be a barrier to purchasing fresh, local produce at farmers’ markets,” said Governor David A. Paterson. “This pilot program paves the way for Food Stamp recipients to purchase nutritious food grown by their local farmers, and we hope to expand it statewide. Programs like these increase access to healthy, local food, which is good for New York’s families and New York’s farmers.”

After doing some research, it seems that it’s not only happening in New York. This idea is growing faster than Kanye’s ego, city after city are changing their ways and allowing everyone equal access to the best local food being offered. This year in Boston, you can trade in a $10 food stamp for $20 worth of food! It’s nice to see local governments seeing the importance of fresh, local produce and its effect not only on the economy, but more importantly, the families it feeds. These Markets create a sense of community (I see the same people working, visiting and hanging out at my neighborhood Market each weekend) that many more expensive community gatherings, concerts, etc. only wish they could create. And now, more and more Markets are making quality food, community and economic sustainability available to ALL members of our city, wealth be damned.

Posted by:

Sean Gardner