Yesterday was our monthly market at Home Sweet Farm. It is always a fun one for us. It's a nicer, more scenic drive, a shorter market day and - most importantly - it's on a farm and not in a 1000 degree parking lot. It was great.
On the way back we saw a few roadside stands with melons. It's that time of year and I had been thinking how great a watermelon juice would go down. (I throw chunks in the blender with a little water and fresh lime juice...yum!). After passing one truck, we stopped at the next. I got my giant watermelon and the guy said he had one cantaloupe left - did we want one of those, too? Christian loves cantaloupe, so I said sure.
On the way home I had the warm fuzzy of having been able to support micro-scale agriculture by buying things from people who have a garden, but maybe not the resources we have to go to organized markets.
So a couple hours later I get ready to cut up the canteloupe. I turn it over and there is a sticker on it. The kind of sticker that goes on a supermarket melon. With a PLU code and everything. I peel it off and bring it to Christian.
"I think the guy just sold us a supermarket melon," I said, with astonishment and disappointment. So much for "micro-scale agriculture". The sticker even had a brand name...King Fisher. It got even more disappointing. Christian googled it and found a recall notice. Now granted, the possibly infected melons were only recalled in Canada and no illnesses were reported yet, but still. Bummer. We're still deciding whether or not to take our chances, feed it to the pigs or just toss it.
I am not inclined to buy things from truck stands again. And that is the biggest bummer of the whole experience.
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2 comments:
Here in Maryland there is a very prominent farm stand down in Baltimore County. Its on a very busy corner, in an area that is mostly magnificent estates and horse farms, Cal Ripken lives a short drive away from the market. The entire setup is designed to give you the illusion of farm goodness. It has a local sounding name, carries some organic produce too. The market is set up in hay wagons under a roof. All the produce they sell is supermarket produce. All of it. Nothing local. Perhaps they bring in some local sweet corn in the late summer. Mostly, its just sad.
Mmm...supermarket produce...
EEECH! I would toss that melon. I found out early on after moving here that those roadside guys (near Houston) are only selling rejects. Even if its a "local" Hempstead melon, they are selling the rejects that are too BIG for the supermarkets.
RIGHTEOUS FOOD is based on relationships. Know your farmer.
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