The week before Thanksgiving is probably a busy one at your local farmers' market. People descend in droves to gather their ingredients for the big day: potatoes, fresh cranberries, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes, celery, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, fresh herbs. The farmers respond appropriately by harvesting big, hiring extra booth workers and hauling everything to the market site.
So what happens when it rains and people stay away?
What happens is the farmers lose. A lot. And unlike a retail establishment, they can't make up for it in the following days. (Of course, a grocery store doesn't have to worry about the rain to begin with.) Some farmers estimate that they can lose up to 50% of their business when it rains or the weather turns inclement.
The marketplace is more than a place to exchange cash for goods. It's a place of human relationships, a stage where the larger issues and values of our culture are revealed. We see this writ large on Wall Street but we also see it in a more personal, everyday way when we shop the farmers' markets. Here we are closer to the source and therefore more responsible for and concerned about their success and well-being. In this way, we are not just consumers, we are co-producers, an important and necessary link in the important and necessary process of providing safe, sustainable and affordable food for everyone.
So please, if you are committed to supporting your local farmers, remember to go to the market even on rainy (or snowy!) days. It may not be as fun as meandering about under blue skies, but the crowds will be smaller and your farmer will be grateful for the support.
Related: The Farmers' Market: Helpful Hnits and Etiquette Tips
(Images: Flickr member ghbrett licensed for use under Creative Commons; Rigel Stuhmiller)
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I can't imagine a Farmer's market where it's slow - rain or shine, I have to elbow my way through a huge crowd of people. New Englanders have such a short window to get fresh veggies it is like a stampede every time!
beautifully written article!
Hey! That's the Double H truck in Charlottesville!
so true! i feel like it's my duty to go and support them...especially in bad weather. they work so hard!
Plus, when there are fewer people at the market, it's a great opportunity to make friends with your farmers. They'll appreciate the fact that you came out! This can lead to better produce and maybe even a discount.
Years ago I made the commitment to myself to shop at the farmers market year round, regardless of the weather. My reason was just as you described: the farmers are out there 12 months out of the year so there is no reason that I shouldn't be too. I refuse to be a fair weather attendee. It is such an ingrained part of my weekend and shopping pattern that even my pre-schoolers knows that its part of the weekly routine. The only time I don't go is if I am out of town and even then, if we are on a road trip, I do a quick search online to find a market in the area I am visiting/driving through.
Thank you so much for writing this! I live in Portland, OR, where we have many rainy days in the spring and fall, even occasionally during the height of the summer season. I volunteered the past 2 years at a local FM and we had so many fewer people come out to shop on rainy days (and really hot days too, actually) and its devastating to farmers. You'd think people who live in a pretty rainy climate would persevere through the rain, but not so much.
BTW, I am so excited to go to a FM today to get fresh winter veg for the next several days - and it happens to be inside (and it is pouring here today)!
I live near Chicago, and our farmers markets are short lived. Most in the area only run from June to late September or early October. So sad.
I just LOVE that The Kitchn encourages eating local and buying food from the farmer's market. The one I go to gets pretty good turnout, but in surrounding, more rural areas, I know it's a pretty tough job getting people to shop local. We <3 our farmer's market!
I live in Olympia, Washington which is something like the 4th or 5th rainest city in the US. And we have a beautiful farmers market! If we didn't shop in the rain-we'll we might never shop.
Aw yay, the Community Market! That's right down the block from me.
I have both shopped and worked the SF Ferry Building outdoor market on rainy days, and people still make it out in droves.