Imagine waking up early on a Thursday morning. You slap on some dirty jeans and t-shirt, an old cowboy hat and walk outside into the garden. You are greeted by the chickens who, no matter what time you get out there, seem to already be standing next to the gate waiting to see what yummy stuff they may get from last night's dinner. Most days it's all about the feeding and watering getting done early, before the nine-to-fiver starts. But Thursdays are different. Thursdays from 3-7 is the Chandler Farmer's Market. You've been planning all week what to harvest and now it is time to pull, clean and pack. For one day a week, the world works. All is well. You are a local food source.OK, we have not really made it that far as homesteaders. In fact, we have not successfully been able to produce enough for our family of five. But, boy wouldn't that be cool!
Farmer's markets are the mainstay of the local farmer's existence. They tend to be a good reflection of the area's culture and economy. Some are very strict, others are operated right from Aunt Tilly's front porch. Whatever the market, the idea is the same: fresh food grown locally. That's what I'm talkin' about!
Though a booth at the market would be cool, in reality, the urban homesteader is not well-equipped to compete with local farms. In fact, I'm not sure I would want to. These farmers are there to make a living. I would not want to take away from that unless it were my living that was in the making. You never know though, keep working hard, trust in the good Lord above and see what happens.
Psst....don't buy Tilly's prickly pear jelly. Just trust me.
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3 comments:
We have a farmer's market in our little town on wednesday and saturday mornings and then a bunch on "front porches", too, throughout the summer. I like buying from them, however I'm sometimes unsure if everything is really self grown (especially with a Walmart store right down the road for the Farmers Market). Where I grew up you can still buy tons of vegetables and fruits from Farmers Markets, my grandmother still does and I absolutely love that. When we skype she a lot of times tells me what she just bought on the market (and of course she's there with her bicycle, not the car :) I miss that... Our local Harris Teeter has certain vegetables and fruits that say "locally grown", if you can trust that...
How long have you guys been urban homesteaders? Does one of the adults still work a "regular" job or do you guys grow enough to sustain yourselves?
I love the farmer's market! Here in California farmers are required to post their paperwork proving where their wares are produced and whether they are organically grown or not. Of course there is no guarantee but I always try to purchase from the farms nearest to our town.
Just curious, who is the primary blogger in your family, The Big Guy or The Black Magic Woman? It's always nice to have a mental picture of who I'm talking to!
Bibi - We've been growing food for about 2 years, however, we did not start getting serious about homesteading until about Oct. of last year. I still work a very demanding 7-5 job as a property claims field adjuster for a large insurance company. Keeps me on roofs a lot of the time. Gets me pretty tired. I'm not complaining though. Life is pretty awesome for us.
Christine - For the most part it is I, The Big Guy, The Black Magic Woman helps out with the homeschooling posts though.
Thanks for the great feedback!
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