A local newspaper, the Berkeley "Daily Planet" [yes, that is the
name, but alas, Superman/Clark Kent does not work there] has an
article on a local institution, the Berkeley Farmer's Market.

The article can be accessed by going to:

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com

and clicking on the link at the right side of the main page, titled
"Choice Talk and Good Food at Farmers Markets".

In the raw (and veg) communities, you will often hear people
say that you should shop at farmer's markets. The belief is
that the food there comes straight from the farmer, and is
fresher, better quality. However, as a long-time observer
of such markets, I have concluded that the "image" of
such markets is noticeably different from the reality.

Yes, it is true that some of the sellers are farmers selling
their own produce. But I have seen so many "farmers" selling produce
out of boxes marked as coming from other farms in other parts of
the state, that I believe many farmers are using their license to
sell their *own* produce, as a license to peddle and sell produce
by others. The end result is that one gets the very same produce
being sold in the health food stores, supermarkets, but
with the differences:

*  prices at the Farmer's Markets are usually much higher,

*  Farmer's Market produce is less consistently refrigerated
(raising quality concerns) than produce in the stores.

As well, in the past, market peddlers would sometimes have
a "story" to tell to claim their ordinary produce was "nearly
organic". With the stronger federal standards on organic,
one hears such stories less often nowadays.

Let me close by quoting a bit from the "Daily Planet" article:

"But oughtn't it also to be the case that shopping at farmers
markets would also allow us to live more economically? Anyone
who's shopped at a big Bay Area farmers market knows that's not
the place to find bargains.

...snipped...

For a demonstration of how extreme pricing can be based on what
the traffic will bear, check out the weekend market at the redone
San Francisco Ferry Building--stone fruit for $6 a pound, for
heaven's sake!"

PS stone fruit = fruits with a hard seed in the center -- things like
peaches, plums, apricots, etc.

Tom Billings