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| Lookin' down the alley towards Market Street, prolly the last warm day for a while... |
Like many gardeners, I have an affection for vegetables and vegetable gardening and well as flower gardening. I also like to eat good food, support other folks who grow things for a living, and indulge in local culture, so I'm a frequent visitor of the various local farmer's markets in our region. Roanoke, the city I live in, has a particularly nice one located downtown in the same place since the mid 1800's. It has a festival like atmosphere every Saturday, in fact there is usually some sort of actual festival being celebrated almost every weekend. It's great to see such a diverse mix of old-timers and new young farmers, and customers interested in supporting, buying, and eating their goods. I have a dream (a foggy dream) of maybe someday having a stall of my own, perhaps selling native plants, butterfly host plants, or something of the like. Maybe someday...
Meanwhile, think about visiting your local farmers market, give your dollars to the man or woman who actually planted the seeds and picked those apples with their own hands. Local food is fresher, therefore it tastes better, and gives more money to the hard working people in your community that actually produce it.
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| Local handmade soaps and skin care products, fresh cut flowers, home-made baked goods, fresh local grass-fed beef... |
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| One of the Guthrie sisters tending to the apples (which are delicious, by the way!). There is a HUGE difference between fresh local apples and those things you get at supermarkets. |
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| More of the Guthrie's selection, they kept us supplied with a steady stream of fresh okra all summer long. |
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| My mom really enjoyed the cantaloupes from Martin Farms in Botetourt County. |
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| Here's Charlie, keepin' it real. His apples are damn good too. Charlie is awesome! |
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| I can't remember his name right now, but this guy from Catawba Valley Bee Farm has the BEST honey. Real nice fellow, too. Always answers all my annoying questions about bee-keeping. |
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| The folks from Riverstone in Floyd always have one of the busiest stalls. They do an amazing job. |
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| Every Saturday there's always some kind of live music being played. This time it was After Jack from nearby Ferrum. They were great, Charlie thought so too. They even played one of my favorites, Cornbread and Butterbeans. |
Looks great. Good food and products in many forms and nice atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could could come and spend a month in Virginia. My roots, as far as my American roots are there. The history and the beauty of the place pull on me. I`ve only been twice, but both visits did not begin to satisfy me. My bucket list includes a long stay there. The asters of all types are going crazy here, also. I`m refering to your previous post. Thanks for two enjoyable entries.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this. I also enjoy the farmer's market, though ours is not exactly historic. It's held on Sundays in a parking lot adjacent to the Skokie City Hall, a park, and a senior citizen highrise. Although the high rise is full mostly of Russian immigrants who add a certain international flair. But there is no question it is the best place to get your fresh produce.
ReplyDelete*Satu-Thank you, I wonder if you have markets like this in Finland?
ReplyDelete*Randy-It would definitely take a month to experience it all! From Colonial Williamsburg, to the D.C. metro area, to here in Appalachia, we are a very diverse state. Heck, we even have Mennonites and Hippy communes living side by side around here. We all share a love of the land and culture.
*Jason-That sounds cool, I've noticed on TV shows like No Reservations, the ethnic neighborhoods of a city do seem to have the best street markets and food.
Wonderful photographs, I like such places. I am greeting
ReplyDelete*ZielonaMila-Thank you! And thank you for vising my blog all the way from Poland :-)
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