The great thing about Virtual Farmgirl is that this virtual space takes me in directions that force me to think beyond my regular day-to-day life. It transports me outside my community and, in many ways, connects me closer to it.
One of the no-duh parts of farmers markets is that they offer not only farm-fresh produce, but also offer produce varieties you can’t get in the local supermarket.
Indeed, heirloom tomatoes are nowhere to be found at my Jewel and I wouldn’t trust the flavor if they were. Same for the rich variety of herbs and peppers you can find at the farmers markets I make it to…though in my Hispanic-enriched neighborhood, there are pepper varieties that rival the Southern California markets I went to with my sister (good news for our tortilla soup recipe).
I suppose this is why I was drawn to this article in Projects for Public Spaces, Markets for All. The article subhead talks about how innovative markets serve the needs of low-income communities.
A market featured in the article is accepting food stamps in the form of EBT cards, along with grant-supportive incentives to shop a the markets. In Toronto, markets are dropping in to low-income communities.
I’m loving this direction and am hoping it’s a positive trend.
Income aside, local farmers markets certainly can fill the need of ethnically diverse and converged communities, bringing us together and diversifying our cuisine.
I just saw Chef Rick Bayless on his show from Mexico City eating Mexican-Asian fusion foods at a local market. Mexican fried rice, no wok needed. Mexican hot pepper sauces to accompany chop suey.
One look inside my fridge and you’d have no idea what we cook, except that we like spicy, savory foods. I’d say we favor Mexican-Italian-Asian-German fusion.
Virtual Farmgirl 