"To Market, To Market..."

I grew up in the Midwest where it was not unusual for city-folk to have large vegetable gardens and fruit-bearing trees. We had two apple trees, a plum tree, and a pear tree, and my dad grew lettuce, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and radishes in our suburban backyard. My parents canned tomatoes and pickles every fall. As an adult, I don't eat nearly as many veggies as I did as a kid, probably because I don't have a garden and have to rely largely on flavorless grocery store produce that has spent days in transit.

The Tenaka Farms veggies that we bought last weekend added an undeniable spark to our meals this past week. Questioning our smarts for not doing so years ago, the Wrangler and I decided to make an effort to buy only locally grown produce from now on. California certified farmers' markets are easy to find around here. All farmers who sell at a certified market are inspected by the county agricultural commissioner to ensure that their farms actually grow the food that is sold at the market. This makes supporting local farmers as easy as going to the grocery store, and we pay less money for better quality food. Win-win. Today we spent $16 on farm-fresh green and red peppers, asparagus, Maui onions, green onions, broccoli, green beans, squash, tomatoes, and carrots. I'm guessing we would have paid more than double that amount at the grocery store.