UDJ 8-1 Column
From CFI
You Are How You Eat
I want to write a column about food prices. But, there is so darned much happening at the Saturday Farmer’s Market that I keep running out of space. Perhaps I can sneak in a bit at the end.
It is peak season. Last Saturday the market got busy at 9 AM and stayed busy. Some people are coming for special treats, like the array of fresh heirloom tomato varieties from Red Tail Farms and our other specialty local growers. Others want to dazzle friends with high quality local food on the barbeque. John Ford Ranch had an absolutely huge day with their local, naturally pastured beef. They are developing a following. The Fords will take a breather tomorrow but will be back on August 9.
Last week’s market was so event packed that I failed to mention UC Davis trained Mendocino Master Gardeners (http://cemendocino.ucdavis.edu/Master_Gardener578/) would be on hand to answer your plant and garden questions. Not to worry. They will back on the last Saturday of every month (if not sooner). That Other Quartet, performing as a barbershop quintet, was great fun and raised $144 for the Ukiah School of Music. Tomorrow, enjoy the accordion magic of market mainstay Don Willis.
We also have three great demonstrations. At 10AM chef and proprietor Julia Kendrick Conway will show us how to make (Fish Peddler fresh) Cod and (Covelo Organics local) Chard Packets with Moroccan Spices. Among other things, Julia leads the Mendocino County Slow Food Convivia, is an owner of Stella Cadente Olive Oil, and runs Assaggiare Mendocino, a Taste of Northern California (www.assaggiare.com ). She believes that eating is about feeding our souls as well as our bodies and that “Food provides a context for our history, our lives and our relationships.” You are not just what you eat, but also how you eat.
Following that, Ukiah market favorite and Tuesday market manager Michael Krzywozycki of Robinson Creek Flower Farm (and Bed & Breakfast, see www.robinsoncreek.com ) will be providing a flower arranging workshop. If you have ever let Michael create an arrangement you already know he is a serious talent. If you are at all keen on arranging you want to be at this workshop.
Leah Middleton from the Greater Ukiah Localization Project (GULP) will be in the market café demonstrating how to crochet a reusable, washable bag using your old disposable plastic bags. To participate bring size G-K crochet hook, scissors and some plastic grocery bags.
Next to the market you will find a very special pet adoption opportunity. Mendocino County HHSA Youth Services (including our own Kate Feigin of Lover’s Lane Farm) has teamed up with Animal Care and Control to help find homes for deserving dogs. With guidance from Moochie Poochie and Blue Ribbon Pets owner Kelly Boesel, youth in Public Health Summer Programs put the dogs through “basic training” to ready them for adoption. Meet the dogs and their trainers from 10:00-12:00. All dogs will be available for adoption. Interested in a happy, healthy, well mannered new friend? It’s the place to be.
Reminder: the Ukiah Food Bank is collecting donations at the Market every Saturday. Have excess from your garden? Instead of troubling your neighbors with those zucchini, bring them with you to the market to add to the donation. We can store your contributions at the Friends of MCFARM table under the pavilion.
Phew! Now for a few words about price, starting with perceptions about price. Lots of people seem to assume things will cost more at a small, locally-owned store than at a large chain. Guess who benefits from that perception? The top 100 spenders spent over $105 billion on advertising in the United States in 2007. About $7.5 billion of that advertising is directly categorized as food-related. It buys a lot of perception.
Sure, advertised specials and highlighted items can be bargains (at least in terms of immediate cash outlay). But, are those $2 Fritos really all you buy once you’ve made the long walk across the lot and found a cart that doesn’t wobble? More importantly, are the specials really the high quality foods (or other products) that you would choose to buy? In June the locally-owned Ukiah Natural Food Co-Op compared their prices with those of two larger area grocers. The results are on pages 6-7 of their July/August 2008 newsletter available at http://www.ukiahcoop.com/NewsJuly08.pdf. If you had assumed that a locally owned, non-chain, benefit paying store would have higher prices, you may discover that the perceived price is not always the real price. For a much deeper exploration of this theme see Sometimes Lower Prices, Chapter 5 of Big-Box Swindle by Stacy Mitchell.
Certified farmer’s markets are in Ukiah from 8:30 AM to noon Saturday and 3-6 PM Tuesday on School Street at Clay Street and in Alex Thomas Plaza and in Redwood Valley on Sunday from 9:30-1PM at 8920 East Road in Lion’s Park. To learn more about our Mendocino County Farmer’s Markets, go to http://mcfarm.org/.
