By Sharon & Charles Kerr
Roadside fruit stands are few and far
between these days, the casualty of our busy
lifestyles and fast food culture. But home grown
produce and local crafts are making a
comeback at regional farmers markets all
across East Texas.
The idea is to eat local, meaning seasonal
produce grown on a farm near you, often
harvested the same morning as you buy it
and take it home. That’s when it is at its peak
of ripeness and has maximum flavor and
nutritional value.
Supermarket fruits and vegetables are often
picked days or weeks before it reaches the
grocery bins. Along the way, it’s exposed to
a number of treatments to keep the food
looking presentable.
gently plucked by a farmer’s hand, probably the guy
Nutritionists and plant researchers recommend, or gal standing in front of you, so understand: they
“The nutrients in most fruits and vegetables start to look tired because they are tired. But they would not
diminish as soon as they’re picked, so for optimal want to do it any other way.
nutrition, eat all produce within a week.”
Big box stores want a nice red tomato for slicing, but
But for many shoppers, it’s the social aspect that tomatoes are usually picked green, treated with a
draws them to farmers market, the chance to visit with retardant to keep them firm while shipping and then
like-minded foodies and talk to the farmers who ethylene gassed to make them turn red for sale. Only
grow it. You can pick up tips on how to start your own a few varieties take well to that kind of handling.
garden, or how to cook this new vegetable you’ve
Heirloom varieties are picked ripe but must be
never seen before.
sold quickly. They bruise easily and only keep a few
Variety is one of the more interesting aspects at days, but ooooh, the flavor! Try Brandywine or Black
market. Grocery stores might have two or three kinds Krim for slicing, or the many colors of sweet cherry
of squash or tomatoes, but when you visit a farmers tomatoes from ghostly white to yellow, orange, red to
market you find colors and shapes you never almost black. Each variety has a flavor of its own.
knew existed.
Pair tomatoes with fresh herbs that are available at
These varieties don’t lend themselves to conventional most markets. For basil, oregano or rosemary, grasp
farming methods. They won’t stand up to machine the tip with one hand and gently slip the fingers of
picking and conveyor belt sorting. Each one was the other hand downward to separate the tender
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