* Column *
By Wayne McLaurin
University of
Georgia
No, this isn’t a football story. My lament is that with the start
of football season, my favorite shopping place for vegetables,
the downtown Athens farmers market, no longer exists.
The farmers market is actually an informal hodgepodge of pickup
trucks, vans and cars on the north side of College Street, two
blocks from the University of Georgia campus.
If you aren’t already aware, Athens is awash in football fans on
fall weekends. College Street is put to other good uses on the
weekends the Dawgs are on their home turf. Starting the Saturday
before the first football weekend, the farmers market must give
way to parking.
Early riser
But until then, I get downtown about 6:15 a.m. with my coffee in
hand. The market’s official opening time is 7 a.m., but if the
produce is unloaded, I can exchange my money for the very
freshest, tastiest produce available.
Every year as it closes, I begin to miss the people I see at the
market. There are joggers running by who go home with a few
veggies. Some folks come in cars, others on bicycles. And those
living near enough just walk to the market.
They come in all manner of dress, from coveralls to high fashion,
some with children in strollers, others with dogs or
briefcases.
Many motivations
They come out of curiosity, attracted by the hubbub, or just
saunter up the street from coffee shops, the Saturday newspaper
rolled up under their arms.
The one thing they all have in common, regardless of what they
wear or how they get there, is they’re quickly seduced by the
farm-fresh, local produce. Well, one grower brings beautiful
flowers and produce from Elberton, but we still consider that
local.
One family comes with the very best blueberries, and I buy and
freeze them and make muffins until I see them next year. During
sweet corn season, farmers show up with their pickups piled high.
What a treat! Sometimes I’ve been tempted to have it for
breakfast but have been deterred by “she who must be obeyed”
until the midday meal.
Favorite farmers
Yet my favorite folks are the farmers who bring tomatoes. I get
to peruse the many cultivars: old and new, heirloom and hybrid.
Pinks, reds, yellows, greens and stripes. Black Krims, German
Pinks, cherries, yellow plums, Arkansas Travelers and others. Not
a bad one in the bunch. Let’s see, I’ll have a few of these and
some of those….
Both conventional and organic farmers display their harvest.
Often the produce is sold out by 10 a.m. The first butterbeans
that showed up at the market only lasted through 3 buyers — I
got the last of the batch. They sure were good with the fresh
sliced tomatoes and cornbread. You got to be early.
The market is not only about selling produce, but about visiting
with other producers and voicing concerns about the weather, the
best ways to irrigate and the cultivars they may want to include
in next year’s garden.
It’s not the price
One interesting thing I’ve observed is that I seldom hear anyone
ask, “How much are the tomatoes per pound?” It’s always, “I want
4 pounds of tomatoes,” or, “Are those German Pinks?” I can’t tell
you how many times I’ve heard one of the farmers say, “Take one
of these and try it — I think you’ll like it.” How many times do
you get that in a supermarket?
The farmers markets throughout Georgia are growing in number and
size. Plan to visit them and get the freshest, best and often the
cheapest produce available.
“Wait until next year,” what I say about having that ultimate
bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. It gives me something to
look forward to next summer when the lady from Elberton shows up
with the German Pinks.
