This is not joyful at all; in fact, the horrible feeling that is creeping over me seems to be guilt, snobby, foodie guilt. It’s the same feeling I get when I use tomato ketchup to sweeten my braised lamb shanks. It seems to me that we are being bombarded by the ethical, organic; grow your own crowd whose latest, most fashionable cause is that of the farmers’ market. For the most part I am with them, but there are times when these choices just don’t seem practical. In my mind there is no doubt that farmers’ markets are superior in terms of quality, interaction and environmental impact but I can’t help but wonder; how do they fare against the modern day beasts of constraints; time and money.
It is also worth taking into consideration that quite often the farmers’ market produce simply doesn’t last as long as its non-organic supermarket counterpart. This is a seriously double edged sword; the chemicals that are used to extend the shelf life of a lettuce are the very reason that the organic brigade steers clear of them, but this isn’t a discussion on the merits of organic food. The notable fact here is that my sordid Spanish iceberg lettuce lasted for three whole weeks in the salad draw. But this is not cut and dry, the flowers that I buy at my local market always out live their distant supermarket relatives, but we shouldn’t be cruel; an economy flight from Kenya would dishevel even the chicest of travellers.
Price comparisons between farmers’ markets and the supermarkets can be misleading as they do not take into account quality of produce and experience or environmental and economic impact. From what I have seen, if you are willing to go with the seasons and you are happy to veer off the shopping list piste then you can pick up some bargains. For some, this is a genuinely enjoyable aspect of a farmers’ market, the diversity and uniqueness is exciting. But any budgeting householder worth their salt will tell you that the shopping list is king. And unless you can conjure up a swede gratin at the drop of a hat, going off list could dash the best laid plans.
Supermarkets thrive because they allow us to shop in a way that suits a modern lifestyle, we can go when we want to, everything is under one climate controlled roof, we can pay by debit card and we can pick up everything from bin liners to biryani. For most people the farmers market is an indulgence, we can’t all plan our lives around them or afford to shop solely at them. They cannot be all things to all people and until this changes (and I truly hope it does; a farmers’ market just outside of my work place that is open until seven thirty would be ever so convenient) I don’t think even the biggest foodie wannabe should feel guilty about their dalliances under the bright lights of the supermarkets.