The Farmer's Market

I'm trying to incorporate The Farmer's Market into my weekly routine. The variety of fruits & vegetables are remarkable, the flowers are the cheapest you can get in Charlotte (even though, in my opinion, they are still overpriced) and it support local farmers. When I lived in New York, I would visit The Union Square Greenmarket occasionally on the weekends. However, it had a very elitest feel to it. The fruits & vegetables were expensive and almost too exotic. I often felt pressured into buying something I had no idea what to do with because the girl from upstate with hairy armpits was so damn cool. In Charlotte, The Farmer's Market carries staples and has one vendor that carries Asian produce. Not exotic stuff, the kind of stuff I need to make basil chicken or cilantro for 99 cents a bunch. My favorite vendor is Kenny. Kenny is the kind of guy who will open a package of onions because you only need one (like he did for my friend Allison a few weeks ago.) He also the kind of guy who will tell you that a yellow tomato has no acid. In fact, he compared to a flat Coke. Plus, he has got the best tomatoes and cucumbers. This week I picked up some cucumbers that looked only OK from my cilantro vendor. When I moved on to Kenny's booth and I made myself promise to always buy my cukes from him - they are the best. The other thing I like about the market is the variety of people. I often wait in line to buy Thai Basil with what looks like a United Nations meeting. I've challenged myself to one day ask someone what they make with their cubano peppers. The Farmer's Market here has so much more to offer than just produce. And I always walk away with shoulder bag full of produce for $10. As my father likes to say, You can't beat it with a stick.