Tale of Two Markets

I had not realized how far I have come in wanting to know and appreciating how much I know about where my food comes from until today in two unintentionally divergent food buying experiences while visiting family in LA.

8:30am: Morning trip to Whole Foods to pick up a few things for breakfast.

While trying to find some fresh fruit to go along with our bacon, eggs and potatoes, I walked up and down the produce aisle fully expecting to find something that looked delicious while also local and preferably organic. With apples and citrus still going strong (at least in California), and early berries starting to come in, I figured I'd have my pick.

Instead, I passed organic Washington apples, conventional citrus from California, and berries from Costa Rica. The only thing that I could find that was truly local and organic - strawberries from a vendor 75 miles away in Ventura County - had quite a bit of bruised fruit and a couple packs that were moldy. Ugh. Really? No organic apples or oranges from local farms in California when they are so plentiful at local farmers' markets? Or a better selection of organic berries from one of the dozens of strawberry farms within 100 miles?

I regularly shop at Whole Foods, and although not perfect, I appreciate their commitment or leaning towards environmental sustainability. But wow, what a disappointment.

10:30am: Unplanned trip to the Calabasas farmers' market that we had never been to

Walking the aisles of freshly picked navel oranges, fuji apples, and organic strawberries, I was like a kid in a candy store. Especially after the disappointing Whole Foods trip earlier in the morning, it was so refreshing to have my pick of fresh, delicious, sustainable fruit. Kaiya and I could sample fruit from a variety of vendors from Ventura, Fresno, Bakersfield and elsewhere. And I was delighted to talk to each of these new vendors that I had never met before and learn more about where they were coming from, what they grew on their farm and how it was grown.

I know this is what I do every Sunday at the Mountain View farmers' market, but it was eye-opening to be able to do this somewhere else and on vacation, and to have the experience juxtaposed with shopping at a store that I still respect and value for its commitment to good food.

Shopping at the farmers' market 1, buying food anywhere else 0.