Yesterday, I posted about a wonderful farmers market that we like to attend on Saturdays. It is organized by a local conservancy, and the quality control of products is excellent.
Just down the road, is what I like to call a “faux” market. We visited once, because it looked so quaint. A white clapboard exterior and neat red tin roof, bench swings and colorful signs completed the pretty picture. They were selling soft-serve ice cream and Amish pies. Cornfields extended out back.
Perusing the merchandise, we noticed some things that just didn’t seem right. When we got home with our produce, we were less than impressed with the flavor. Putting two and two together, it became obvious that what they were selling wasn’t locally grown.
There are many of these faux markets around. Often, you’ll find them in abandoned gas station parking lots; but, lately, they’ve been gaining traction in those quaint settings that attract unsuspecting folk.
We think that we are buying the real, farm fresh stuff. I even found a faux market on a real farm! To think I drove twenty miles to be offered moldy pickles in a carton, hidden by one fresh layer atop.
To be fair, this farm did offer for sale some excellent meats, chicken, and eggs. I would return for that reason. But why did they find it necessary to sell the old pickles, out of season veggies, and discount tropical fruits?
Warning signs that you are at a faux market:
- They’re selling citrus and mangoes in Ohio
- You can buy gum, insect repellent, magazines, and fishing tackle
- the produce prices are super cheap (Check under the first layer in the container!)
- Your kids can get their faces painted, eat soft-serve ice cream, climb on hay bales, make jewelry, drive a tractor
If you can buy these, you probably are at a faux market.
The legitimacy of a farmers market is important. Faux markets undermine that legitimacy by misleading customers and, ultimately, turning them off to the idea of buying food locally.
None of the above is bad, per se. Believe me, I know that trying to entertain small children is no picnic (ha), and finding a place where they are happy and allowed to run around is awesome. Just know what the deal is, and what it isn’t.
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