then and now - Blue & White Online

Sweets ‘nVicky Waldthausenis a senior from Charlotte.She can be reached at avwaldt@live.unc.edu.SpinachThis summer I had an epiphany.It was a hot, humid morning in earlyJune, shortly after my arrival in New YorkCity. As I strolled through the crowdedstreets, wishing for the shady, green trees ofCentral Park, I stumbled upon a differenttype of green: Greenmarket, also known asthe city’s largest farmers’ market.I’ve been to farmers’ markets before,often tagging along with my mom, admiringstacks of heirloom tomatoes and freshlypicked spinach (which, you may havealready guessed, I absolutely love). But thisdiscovery was special.In the middle of this dirty, hot citysofar away from the green countryside ofNorth Carolina-farmers still grow and selllocal produce.My run-in with the Greenmarket happened right around the time I was readingthe book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. In her book, Kingsolvertells the story of how her family lived on completely homegrown and local food forone year, and that packaged foods, like Pop-tarts and M&M’s, aren’t a necessarypart of life.Together, these two discoveries prompted me to make a new lifestyle decision:Whenever possible, I will buy my fruits and veggies locally.Not only is there nothing nicer than spending a Saturday morning with thesmell of fresh produce and blushing summer peaches, but supporting local farmersis an added bonus. And, unlike the produce sold in grocery stores, everything at afarmers’ market is in season, something I’d never really considered before. But, itmakes sense to buy a tomato in the late summer months rather than in the middleof winter, when the only available tomatoes are shipped from hundreds of milesaway and treated with chemicals so they remain “fresh.”I’ll be honest. I, like every normal tomato-lover, will most likely crave a tomatoin the middle of winter, and will most likely succumb to buying an out-of-seasongrocery store tomato. But, I want to be more respectful toward the fruits and veggiesthat are actually in season before reaching for those that are not.There’s often the misconception that shopping at a farmers’ market meansspending more money than we as college students have. However, because of theshort distance the produce travels from being picked to your mouth, your favoriteveggies are usually the same price (or sometimes cheaper) than at a grocery store.My favorite farmers’ market is the Carrboro Farmers’ Market, only a short walkfrom Weaver Street Market. Whether I’m going to get kale, spring onions, peaches,free-range eggs, squash or a bouquet of beautiful flowers for a friend’s birthday, Iwalk through the stands and I’m in paradise.But shopping at farmers’ markets isn’t the only way to support local farmersin our area. In Carrboro, restaurants like the Spotted Dog and Neal’s Deli servemany of their dishes using local and organic food, as do Elaine’s and SandWhich onFranklin Street. Elaine’s even lists all of the farms they partner with on their website.And because I never leave out dessert: I urge every one of you to go to theMaple View Farm Country Store in Hillsborough. Whether you want some freshmilk or you just want to enjoy the last few summer nights watching the sun setbehind the picturesque fields of a dairy farm, eating ice cream on a rocking chairmakes it the perfect location to relax and feel far away from campus and homework.And, you’ll support a local farm in the process!Eating locally can be hard. You have to depend on what’s in season and adjustyour meals accordingly. But there is also something truly rewarding about knowingthat you are eating food that only traveled a few miles to get to you.&