On Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:27:49 -0400, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:



>
>With a lot of produce there's no choice, most produce doesn't grow
>locally and what does the season is short, much of what's available
>all year is shipped from the other hemisphere... there are no
>banana/pineapple farmers where I live, no citrus either.

Frozen is often better than imported from thousands of miles away.
Citrus does ship well though.



>And "farmers
>market" in no way means grown locally, farmers markets sell exactly
>the same produce as your local stupidmarket. If you want local
>produce shop the local "farm stands". Most of the farmer's market
>venders have never grown any produce, their hands have never touched
>dirt... a farmer's market is just a produce flea market, they are
>resellers, and much of what they sell are culls and left overs from
>the regional produce wholesalers. Buying cantaloupe from a local
>farmer's market in no way means it's locally grown.

In this case it is. The farmer's market here is regulated and only
locally produced items can be sold. I know where the farms are
located and all are within about 30 miles of me.

http://ctnofa.org/FarmersMarkets.htm
http://www.ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?a=3260&q=398996
(5) "Connecticut-grown" means produce and other farm products that
have a traceable point of origin within Connecticut;
(6) "Farm" has the meaning ascribed to it in subsection (q) of section
1-1;
(7) "Farm products" means any fresh fruits, vegetables, mushrooms,
nuts, shell eggs, honey or other bee products, maple
syrup or maple sugar, flowers, nursery stock and other horticultural
commodities, livestock food products, including meat, milk,
cheese and other dairy products, food products of "aquaculture", as
defined in subsection (q) of section 1-1, including fish,
oysters, clams, mussels and other molluscan shellfish taken from the
waters of the state or tidal wetlands, products from any
tree, vine or plant and their flowers, or any of the products listed
in this subdivision that have been processed by the
participating farmer, including, but not limited to, baked goods made
with farm products

I'm aware of the produce seller and street corner hucksters. They
cannot sell at the local market.



> If you want
>locally grown find a farm stand at the side of the road in front of a
>farm where you can actually see cantaloupe growing in the farmer's
>fields. However regardless from where purchased produce needs to be
>carefully washed immediately upon arriving home, before putting it in
>your fridge.
>

We do have a couple of those in the area too. They also sell at the
town Farmer's Market.