Yes, I am afraid to say, this is yet another blog about food.. But hopefully one with a difference to other blogs around and even different to the blogs I have contributed to in the past. This one is about eating seasonally and making the most of the bounty of nature and indirectly supporting local food producers.
One of the catch cries of food media over the last few years has been "Eat locally, eat seasonally," which is a great idea for numerous reasons which I wont go in in the article. Go to the markets, ignore the mega-marts, factory production is bad, small production is good and so on. Very nice in practice but quite a few of the Farmers Markets in the larger centers I have been to lately are just outdoor versions of the supermarket that is so highly vilified in the media.
Just because you purchase from a market DOES NOT mean that it is somehow inherently better. And the prices are not always better and indeed the prices are not even a reflection of quality.
In general, I believe that the larger markets in larger population centers are a rip off. Plain and simple. Smaller center markets are better suited to the abilities of small agrarian concerns selling direct to the public but I am of the opinion that these are a side income or branding exercise for the majority of stalls at the market. It is economics at its finest. If you are a small producer, you need a small outlet and build a reputation for consistent quality and value. Big operations need to move larger volumes of produce quicker and selling from small markets for a few hours on a Saturday morning in the local car park is not the way to do it. Volume comes from the supermarket.
I ask one question of the stall holder - where is your produce grown? Down here in Wellington there seems to be a conspiracy. Almost all the stall holders have large trucks, the same produce in the same bins, often the mix of produce is same at stall after stall. Prices are the same, quality is the same, containers are the same and out of season or imported produce is the same. How can that be?
Could it be that the stall holders are actually purchasing their produce from the same supply company instead of the given impression that they are producing it? Is that actually the point of the modern large scale outdoor market - to provide an experience and a tangible sense of "aren't I doin' great things for the small-holder" and "outdoor markets are better than environment controlled supermarkets," so we do not have to face up to the truth that we are being swindled, brainwashed or somehow just been duped and loving it.
I know I have been guilty of seeing massive stalls with dozens or piles of perfectly packaged seasonal produce mixed in with piles of oranges, bananas, and other products that must have been imported and not asked the question, "Where did this produce come from?" Where do the piles of ginger come from? Do you grow coconuts in Otaki? How come the produce sold in bulk without labeling looks exactly the same as those in the supermarkets except the labeling is added with things like country of origin. Grapes in ziplock bags anyone? To me, this smacks of the stall holders buying from a wholesaler and on-selling - Did anyone say supermarket?
I must stress that these thoughts are a generalization and while generally correct, there are exceptions. Exceptions to the rule and for whom the markets are a way to reach their customers and build a local base - and these are the producers who must be championed. These are the people for whom the spirit of the market is alive and well, and these are the people who embody the point of eat in season, eat local, reduce food miles and so on.
I would love to hear from the producers who do not fit the bill of what I consider to be the average market stall holder. People who have a genuine love and concern for what they produce. There is no shame in making a profit either - none of use willingly work for free and neither should the producers of great food. You should get what you pay for.
One such example that I will come back to is a small sheep farm int he Wairarapa who attend the markets with a sampling of produce both fresh and frozen. They travel to Wellington and sell direct and it is fantastic. But they also use the opportunity to pre-sell stock to the punters. They have a website where you can shop form home and the process is like a modern version of the good old home kill. Streamlined for the customers needs and properly packaged for storage rather than just buying a whole sheep chopped up and delivered in a cotton sheet. You deal direct with the farmer and you can be assured that there is quality.
In this blog I want to emphasis the benefits of eating fresh local produce and how to make the most of it. This will mean several things. Firstly, recipes posted will have the spin of what is coming in to season and I want to post ideas for making he most of the seasons bounty. Preserving food for later months will also feature heavily. Secondly, I want to look for the small-scale producers who embody the point of eating locally and I am setting out to identify these producers and get their spin on things. If you have any pointers or have a product or produce you wish to highlight, please let me know.
Do not be afraid to ask the question, or to even answer it yourself. Am I getting what I think I am getting or have I fallen victim to a ploy to take my money?
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