A Day at the Centerville Farmer's Market

It's that time of year again when Farmers' markets across the nation are opening early and laying out a huge selection of fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs. For me it's simply irresistible!

Nearby is just such a market. Well, nearby for me is about 20 miles :) Still I go. It's open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 7:30-12:30 though it will stay open later if the customers are still coming in and if they still have harvested goods to sell. Today I arrived earlier than I usually do as I've found they sometimes sell out early.

It was about 7:30 and one farmer was all set up. The other had just arrived and was in the process of setting up his tables to be followed by unloading all his freshly picked vegetables and herbs. You would think this would be a peaceful, unhurried thing for the farmer to do. The sun is out, there are no clouds, there are people calmly waiting in their cars. Turns out there are also people who have no patience and who won't wait for the farmer to get set up.

As I stood and watched the farmer unload, I thought maybe I should offer to help him. Before I could finish that thought, this lady comes walking up to his tables and sees that his harvest is still in his vehicle. Does she wait for him to get set up like the rest of us are doing? No! She just makes herself at home and starts going through his bags of vegetables picking what she wants before he can even manage to get his tables set up. Rude, rude, rude!!!

What gives her the right? Clearly she thought she deserved to plunder through this man's vegetables, picking what she wanted and rushing him to the point where he couldn't even finish setting up for having to answer her questions, weigh her selections, find his bags and make change for her purchases. If it bothered me, certainly he must have been annoyed.

Did he show his annoyance? Not in the least. He just helped her like he would any other paying customer and when she was gone, there was a audible sigh of relief. Not just from him but from the other shoppers like myself who witnessed this rudeness.

I actually did help him out a bit. While he was weighing eggplants for this 'lady,' I offered to arrange his beets in a basket which he brought to display them. He seemed grateful for the offer. Poor man.

I bought beets, onions, sage, eggplant and cauliflower from him. From the farmer across the way I bought tomatoes, corn and cantaloupe. I didn't rush anyone and I didn't try to cut in front of the other shoppers, I just went down the line and got what I needed. That's how shopping at the Farmer's Market should be. Casual, calm, fun and laid back.

The farmers are more than happy to talk about their harvest for the week and what they hope to have next time. They'll even tell you their favorite way to serve the vegetables, fruits and herbs that they grow and sell. They especially like helping me with answering my many garden trouble questions.

For me the Farmer's Market is more than just buying food. Why not pick their brains? They do this for a living and they do it very well. Their corn is coming in while mine is only about 2 feet tall. Their squash, while a bit small yet, is starting to flourish. Their tomatoes are big and juicy whereas mine are still green and each plant has only a couple tomatoes hanging on them.

What is it they do differently? I've no clue. I know I did the research and I followed the planting calendar. I bought plants from reputable sources and goodness knows I've cared for them all diligently! Still they grow slowly. Perhaps it's not the plant itself. Indeed, it could very well be my lack of patience. Lord, I hope I'm not like the rushing lady at the market!! lol

Time will tell if I've done the right thing by these vegetables and herbs of mine. I really enjoyed the strawberries and radishes I grew and the peas, while few, when done will provide just enough for Wally and I to share at one meal.

Not to be deterred, I planted again today. Beets are in the ground for a fall harvest. Beans are in to replace those that the rabbits ate and carrots will go in later this afternoon when things cool off a bit.

The lesson in patience is a difficult one but you really have no choice in the matter. I only wish the lady at the market had learned hers. Perhaps she has never grown anything herself and therefore was clueless? Perhaps she felt entitled, for whatever reason? Perhaps she just wasn't raised right? She needed a good pop on the head in my opinion but then, I'm not her mother. Were I her mother, that's exactly what she would have received! lol

Driving home is a completely relaxing experience here. There's no traffic to speak of and the drivers of the few trucks that did go by waved at me. I've no idea who they were, people just do that around here. It was just after 8:00 am. In Florida, not only would people not wave at me but there would definitely be more than just a few trucks on the road... more like a few hundred!! lol I can't say I miss that traffic at all.

Maybe, just maybe, with the help of the farmers I've been talking to I'll be able to set up a table at the Farmer's Market someday. I hope if that lady shows up at my table that I'll be able to be just as nice as that farmer was. Clearly he's had the lesson :)

"Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience." 
~Ralph Waldo Emerson