Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

I'm going to take exception to this list of no-nos, being a grower myself. 
Anyone else?

paul tradingpost@lobo.net
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The Top 9 Things Not to do at a Farmers' Market
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-maxfield/9-things-not-to-do-farmers-market_b_1663586.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Because the Accidental Locavore was on vacation last week, and since it's 
getting to be peak Farmers' Market season, I thought it was a good time to 
re-run my farmers' favorite posting.

During the taping of a new cooking show, the Accidental Locavore was talking 
to a couple of farmers who have been at the various Greenmarkets in New York 
City for years. As you can imagine, they've witnessed a lot -- from drunks, 
dogs and kids all run amuck, to women with cigarettes demanding to know if 
the produce is organic, they've seen it all. Some of their stories may 
surprise you and if you recognize yourself...

    For example, the Locavore never realized that if you pick up a tomato to 
see how ripe it is, put it down, someone else picks it up, etc., etc., by the 
end of the day it's essentially a tomato water balloon. Not good.

    Usually farmers are happy to let you taste berries. However, if you taste 
a berry and like it, take the box you picked the berry from. Don't get a new 
box and don't add more berries to the box you have.

    2012-07-10-AccidentalLocavoreFreshCorn.jpg
    The Locavore's pet peeve at any market: shucking corn. It makes a huge 
mess and nothing else. If you take it home shucked, it loses moisture and 
flavor (and you've got nothing to grill it in, one of the best and easiest 
ways to cook corn). The way to see if an ear of corn is going to be good is 
to look at it. It should look fresh and moist, not dried out. If you are a 
corn shucker, try picking one or two ears that look good to you, take them 
home un-shucked and see how they compare to the ones you made a mess with. My 
history shows a 98 percent success rate just going for the good-looking ones.

    One of the charms of any farmers' market is the pace. Give yourself time 
to wander through and see what's available. Talk with the farmers -- they 
welcome your appreciation of their hard work. In return, they will be happy 
to help you pick out the best stuff, find something that may not have been 
put out yet, take special orders, or save you something if you can't get 
there early, and often give you tips on how to prepare it.

    Remember, all this beautiful food is really labor intensive. It's 
planted, weeded and harvested, primarily by hand. Trust me, these guys work 
hard, harder than you or I. If prices seem higher than at a big supermarket, 
be thankful you have access to the remarkable taste that only comes from 
something being picked that morning, at the peak of flavor. Not to mention 
the variety. Even at the best stores, you never see twenty different kinds of 
eggplants or forty varieties of tomatoes. Accidental Locavore Mushroom Guy

    Even if you are in a rush, hand them the money. If you're in such a hurry 
that you feel the need to leave the money on the counter, leave it right in 
front of them so they don't have to reach across to get it (or worse, someone 
else picks it up). And if you're in that much of a hurry, chill (and stop 
shucking that corn).

    Would you leave an empty coffee cup or other garbage on the counter at 
Tiffany? Then why do you think you can do it at a Greenmarket? Because it's 
outside? All vendors have trash cans, usually behind the counter. Just ask 
nicely and they'll toss your trash.

    If you want cheap prices, to be able to run in and out, grab a handful of 
plastic bags and toss money on a counter, go to a supermarket (and use the 
self service line), but then don't complain that the veggies don't taste 
good. When you go to a farmers market, you should be looking for a more 
personal experience, a slower pace and interaction with the people who spend 
their lives bringing us great food to eat.

    And if you want to see if a tomato can actually be a water balloon, just 
do the one thing that's universally despised by farmers everywhere... shake 
your bag in their face...

    2012-07-10-AccidentalLocavoreMushroomGuy.jpg

Don't say you weren't warned! Did I miss anything?