Durham Farmers Market weekly update

Heading over to the Farmers Market this morning? Don't miss Four Square's Shane Ingram, who'll be cooking a corn pepper and tomato salad as part of the Chef in the Market series this week. Also up: the Blue Tailed Skinks perform "Old-Time songs" on the fiddle, banjo, accordion and more.

Up this week at the Market (new items noted in italics):

Arugula, Asian Greens, Beans (Green, Yellow, Purple, Roma, French Filet), Beets, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cabbage, Cantaloupe, Chard, Cherry Tomatoes, Collards, Corn, Cucumbers - Slicing & Pickling, Cut Flowers, Eggplant, Figs, Garlic, Green Onion, Herbs ( Basil, Dill, Chives, Mint, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme), Honeydew Melons, Kale, Lettuce, Okra, Onions, Pecans, Peaches, Peppers - Sweet & Hot, Potatoes (Red, White, Yellow, Purple and Fingerling varieties), Purple Hull Peas, Radish, Salad Mix, Shallots, Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatillos, Tomatoes, Turnips, Turnip Greens, Watermelon, Zucchini

Baked Goods, Fresh and Aged Goats and Cows, Milk Cheeses, Handmade Chocolates, Eggs, Honey, Meats (Beef, Bison, Chicken, Chevon/Goat, Lamb, Pork), Wines, Bedding Plants (Annuals, Perennials, Vegetables), Crafts - Stained Glass, Clothes, Pottery, Photographs, Handmade Baskets, Soaps and much more...

All this and more, 8am to noon downtown at Central Park.

Comments

[Phil]

"Blue Tailed Skinks" My blog reader cut things off right around there, and I thought "to eat?!". Never mind.

[Valerie]

We don't have to go to the Farmer's Market for skinks. We could just grab 'em off the porch. (Kidding! We love our pet skinks. They eat bugs!)

[Todd]

Why is the farmer's market only open 4 hours a week? 8 AM - Noon, Saurday's only? Why build such a nice facilty for the farmer's market and then only use it 4 hours a week?

Why not 3 days a week? Or 7? Or even all day on Saturday? This just seems like a wasted opportunity to draw people downtown all week long.

[Durham Bull Pen]

@ Todd: The Durham Farmer's Market is also open 3:30 to 6:30 every Wednesday. The farms are generally local small farms and I'm guessing it's difficult to spare a person to sit at the market for more than a couple of times per week.

[Valerie]

The same farmers are often at the other local markets, including the Duke one on Fridays. http://www.hr.duke.edu/farmersmarket/

[Visconti]

The Durham Farmer's Market is one of my biggest disappointments. I consider myself a Durham booster, but I have to say that this overhyped market does not have what it takes to be considered a real farmer's market. My wife and I have been giving it the benefit of the doubt every year, but year after year we keep finding that the selection of produce is scarce and a lot of the vegetables are overpriced.

Three weeks ago we went there again, with cloth bags to avoid the drive to Raleigh. The tiny selection of tomatoes and strawberries led us to turn around without buying anything and head to the State Farmer's Market.

A real farmer's market should include many farmers, not just backyard gardeners and vendors who cater to the people who shop at Whole Foods. Most importantly, it should be affordable. The majority of the people in Durham cannot afford such high prices.

[Derek]

Visconti -- you should have tried the Durham Farmer's Market 10 years ago when it was just getting going. There were about 3 stands and it was in the gravel lot of the old DAP. No, it is not the cheapest, but how cheap is that 50 mile round trip to the Raleigh farmer's market now? About $10 in one of my cars.

[scott]

gosh visconti, wonder why three weeks ago there was a tiny selection of tomatoes and strawberries? could it be because the middle of june is the end strawberry season and tomato season doesn't really start until a couple of weeks later? Also, the weird spring weather has played havoc with summer crops, especially finicky tomatoes and peppers that like it warm.

the DFM has an excellent selection of produce, actually, if you are willing to eat in season. My wife and I do pretty much all our fresh produce and meat shopping there (not to mention the three vendors who sell cheeses). I also use it for almost all the fresh food for a small personal chef biz. I've been to many of the farms represented at DFM - they are real farms, not backyard gardens, trust me.

and, oh no, another "it's too expensive" complaint. it isn't that the DFM is overpriced - it's that you are used to eating underpriced food that is grown on the strength of cheap oil. Growing food without lots of oil inputs is more expensive. Currently. We'll see how things go with climbing oil prices.

maybe if you think about the value you are getting for your $ instead of just the lowest price you'll have a different view. Then again, maybe not. But I can't imagine you saved any money by driving to Raleigh to get a tomato.

Todd - um, if the market was open 7 days a week, when would the farmers work their farms?

[Emily]

Many of the vendors also accept food stamps or an equivalent, making the produce available to quite a few more Durhamites.

Even if the selection isn't huge, we enjoy running into friends each week and chatting with vendors, especially those whose stands we frequent. And our small son really enjoys all the dogs to bark at and pet. It's really building an interest in the community.

We personally would rather pay more for fresh-from-the-field, in-season produce that we can get just a couple miles from home. The taste alone is worth it.

[Valerie]

The Raleigh market does not feature only local produce, so of course they will have more quantity and variety available. That's a huge difference, and it matters to me if I'm going to a farmer's market to get local produce.

[TLH]

Todd- The Pavilion wasn't actually built just for the Farmers Market. It was built as a facility that could be rented and used by all of Durham - for concerts, family reunions, weddings, etc. The Farmers Market is a tenant in the space.

Maybe I'm splitting hairs here, but I would hate to see this resource go unused because people somehow think the Pavilion is only there for the Farmers Market. As a former Durham Central Park board member, I remember being very excited about the possibility of an affordable outdoor space in downtown Durham where people could gather.

[Michael Bacon]

I recall these wise words: never call a fool a fool -- borrow money from him. Hey, Visconti, can you spare a fiver?

All kidding aside, I do have to wonder what particular form of crack Visconti is smoking. Perhaps he/she is getting to the market at 11:30, when the place has been picked over. If you get there at 9, the selection is pretty impressive.

And comparing it to the Raleigh market is absurd, of course. The Durham market only allows growers within 75 miles of the market. The Raleigh market is one of three massive state-wide markets that permit growers from anywhere to come. Two entirely different markets with entirely different purposes.

My biggest complaint with the Durham market -- no peaches -- was supposed to have been rectified last year, but the late frost killed off all that the one farmer had. This year, there should be two sellers -- the guy who was coming last year, and Lyon Farms, the Kroger of the DFM, whose recently planted peach trees just reached production age.

[Will]

I'm not an expert on produce, etc...I need time to look and ask questions and compare. The crowds on Saturday can sometimes be a bit intense. That said, I'm think it is FANTASTIC that people are taking advantage and I love running into friends there. Would keeping it open until 2 on Saturday thin the crowds a little? What's it like earlier? I'm usually not there before 11 a.m.

I'm glad we're having this conversation because I'd been meaning to see if they have a produce calendar (as I have no idea what's in season and not) and they do! http://durhamfarmersmarket.com/produce.html

[Steve]

To follow up on Valerie's mention of Duke, there's also a mini-market at Duke Gardens on Tuesdays. I go there to pick up my CSA share from Brinkley Farms and they have produce for sale there, and there are also 4-5 other trucks there as well (including Lyon Farms). It's not huge but does offer another chance to buy locally produced food.

[scott]

Michael, Lyon does have peaches this year - they started bringing them in a couple of weeks ago, alongside their blueberries. And the kids from SEEDS have had plums a couple of times - a bit sour, but pretty good.

[TSQ75]

I sadly give up on the DFM...for me personally. It's unfortunately, an elitist venture. But for those who are privelaged enough to be able to afford it and support the farmers with their excess income, i applaud it--the farmers deserve it.

for me, i'll shop with the common folk, who would never venture to use their precious small allotment of food stamps on the overpriced goods ther, no matter how much better quality they are.

[Todd]

The market should be open more hours so it would be more convenient for consumers - the convenience of the farmers is secondary.

By limiting the hours, we are also limiting both product choice and competition from larger farmers who will not be bothered with showing up for just 4 hours a week.

If Asheville - a city a third the size of Durham - can support a state farmers market 365 days a year, why can't Durham do better than 4 hours a week?

[Visconti]

My replies:

“Visconti -- you should have tried the Durham Farmer's Market 10 years ago when it was just getting going. There were about 3 stands and it was in the gravel lot of the old DAP. No, it is not the cheapest, but how cheap is that 50 mile round trip to the Raleigh farmer's market now? About $10 in one of my cars.”

I have a small fuel efficient car so I still save money by going to the State Farmer’s Market.

“gosh visconti, wonder why three weeks ago there was a tiny selection of tomatoes and strawberries? could it be because the middle of june is the end strawberry season and tomato season doesn't really start until a couple of weeks later? Also, the weird spring weather has played havoc with summer crops, especially finicky tomatoes and peppers that like it warm.”

I may have miscalculated the exact time I was at the Durham market, but it was definitely strawberry season and the puny selection we found at the Durham market was disappointing.

“and, oh no, another "it's too expensive" complaint. it isn't that the DFM is overpriced - it's that you are used to eating underpriced food that is grown on the strength of cheap oil. Growing food without lots of oil inputs is more expensive. Currently. We'll see how things go with climbing oil prices.

maybe if you think about the value you are getting for your $ instead of just the lowest price you'll have a different view. Then again, maybe not. But I can't imagine you saved any money by driving to Raleigh to get a tomato.”

You can rave all you want, but the Durham market is overpriced and we saved money at the State Market in tomatoes, strawberries, and lots of other things. We have a tight budget and cannot pay what yuppies pay. By the way, all the produce we bought at the State market came from NC farms.

“Many of the vendors also accept food stamps or an equivalent, making the produce available to quite a few more Durhamites.”

Sorry, but I did not see any low income people there. Only upper middle class shoppers.

“All kidding aside, I do have to wonder what particular form of crack Visconti is smoking. Perhaps he/she is getting to the market at 11:30, when the place has been picked over. If you get there at 9, the selection is pretty impressive.”

We were there early and the selection was not impressive. Also, there are very few vendors with produce and the lack of competition allows them to raise prices.

“And comparing it to the Raleigh market is absurd, of course. The Durham market only allows growers within 75 miles of the market. The Raleigh market is one of three massive state-wide markets that permit growers from anywhere to come. Two entirely different markets with entirely different purposes.”

Why does Durham have this exclusivity? I don’t want California strawberries that are trucked in, but I don’t mind if produce comes from a couple of counties away.

To summarize, I still think the Durham market is overpriced and elitist.

[scott]

TSQ: so, the bigwigs who own supermarket chains and distribution companies get insanely wealthy by pricing out small farmers, consolidating supply lines, and demanding cheapness as the only requirement of food. They live, we assume, not among the "common folk" but in gated golf-course communities or the like. But the DFM is elitist?

also, if you want to shop elsewhere, certainly do so, but, again, it is flat wrong to call the produce at the market "overpriced," because you aren't comparing apples to apples, so to speak. It costs more to grow food organically, to treat your land with respect, to have your animals slaughtered humanely, and to pay yourself and your workers a living wage. Most of the food available at supermarkets meets none of these qualifications.

If you compare the food at the DFM with grocery-store produce raised under similar conditions, I think you'll find that it isn't overpriced at all. It's quite fairly priced.

[scott]

visconti: I wasn't raving. I was simply pointing out that you were misusing the word "overpriced." - see my comments above.

I think you are also misusing the term "elitist." Is anything that you chose not to spend your money on elitist? If the limes at Compare are cheaper than the limes at Harris Teeter, is HT elitist?

all community-based farmers' markets place a mileage-limit on their producers. For some the limit is farther than others. DFM, like Carrboro and other local markets, is dedicated to the purveyance of local food - that's the entire point. As you and others note, there are other types of markets, like the state farmers' market, that have different rules. and then there are grocery stores, who have only one rule: the food must be cheap.

[happy shopper]

This past week at the Lyon Farm booth, I didn't mind waiting my turn behind the nicely dressed older black lady, with the two little boys, who was paying with food stamps this past week, or the young white woman with the little girl who did the same, either. And gee, they looked just like the other shoppers - I would never have known they were on FS had I not observed how they paid. Just what do low-income shoppers look like?

I am really immensely cheered that Visconti won't be slowing me down in the line at the Lyon Farms booth.

[scott]

I apologize for so many separate comments. didn't mean to bogart this thing.

Todd, it isn't a question of "convenience." It's a question of how often farmers can afford to make the drive and lose the work-time. It's also a question of volume, as you note - these are small farmers, most of them don't produce enough to sell all the time. And limiting competition from larger farmers? Yeah, actually, that's the idea, to some extent. Because larger farmers don't generally play by the same rules. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you only cared about "consumer convenience" you could shop at a convenience store, right?

As has also been noted above, DFM is open 7 hours a week, just like most local markets. It is open from 8-12 on Saturday and 3:30-6:30 on Wednesday evening.

[brion]

All comments considered, I'm still in the "overpriced and not open enough" camp also. I'll still buy my meat there b/c to me it's worth it to pay more to support farmers raising beef in a relatively ethical manner, but when I buy it, I still feel it's "overpriced" and have told the farmers as much. Separately, 7 hours a week is not open enough.

[jamie]

I think the farmer's market is fabulous. Local farmers, wide mix of shoppers, organic and conventional produce. I do not make a lot of money, and my husband is a student. I'm not "elitist" because I choose to spend my money to support the local farmers there who care about the land and treat their livestock humanely.

[Duke Grazzano]

Perhaps someone can open a cheap, 24/7 Whiners' Market?

I think the Durham Farmers Market is great.

I go on Saturdays for the camaraderie mostly, so the kid can run around some and, hopefully, some Blue Tailed Skinks' tunes.

I go on Wednesdays for fresh produce and no waiting.

I think it's a bargain for fresh, local produce.

If I want to consume mass quantities immediately, I go to Costco or Compare.

I try not to buy too much produce from Kroger/H-T as it's usually a disappointment.

[BlancheFitzpatrick]

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