Tallgrass:
Ask questions at the market.
I am a vendor at a farmers market, so I hear lots of interesting customer questions directed at me and my neighboring meat and produce vendors. If you are a market shopper, please know we are happy you’re at the market and we love that you want to know more about what we do.
It is clear that consumers are far away from the production of their food but are clamoring for information. Here are a few questions I have heard:
Why don’t more meat vendors who have chicken also sell eggs?
Answer: Meat chickens and egg-laying hens are completely different breeds. If you have one product, you don’t automatically have both.
Why is everything so expensive?
Answer: Sigh. I think some of this is psychological. When you are buying everything together at the grocery store, it’s easy to ignore individual price tags.
Also, farmers growing market vegetables are harvesting produce that is grown for flavor, not cross-country shipping. That berry may be hard to pick, those tender lettuces delicate to pack and highly perishable.
The animals they are raising for meat may be slow-growing rare breeds. That cheesemaker might be making small batches of cheese from more expensive milk.
Farmers often have to price things for what a customer will buy — much of the time all of the cost of goods, like a farmer’s labor, may not even be included.
How come you don’t have more flank steaks?
Answer: There are some cuts of meat that are growing in popularity. So arrive at your favorite meat vendor early, and don’t get angry if they’re out. A 1,200-pound steer may yield 450 to 500 pounds of meat — and with certain cuts, there just aren’t that many.
There are 18 to 20 New York strips on a single animal, but only two flank steaks. And many small farmers slaughter beef on an ongoing basis as they need it, so they may not have flanks steaks several weeks in a row. But I know that farmer will be happy to give you recommendations on other delicious cuts.
All vendors welcome friendly inquiries, and many farms have opportunities for customers to visit or volunteer. Local farms such as Pinehold Gardens and Three Sisters Community Farm offer “worker shares” for their community supported agriculture operation. In exchange for working a committed number of hours per week at a farm, you will receive a CSA share. (Note: These spots usually are limited and may fill up quickly.)
Other farms have volunteer days, among them LotFotL Community Farm, where you can work for a day in exchange for some veggies. Willoway Farms hosts a number of seasonal events, ranging from yoga on the farm, bike rides and on-farm dinners with Braise Restaurant.
And Wellspring is a non-profit farm with a CSA that has a mission of education. Check out their list of programs and workshops for families, kids and adults, from cooking to crafts.
A group of women farmers in South Central Wisconsin, the Soil Sisters, band together for a single weekend of workshops and events, and this year it is Aug. 4- 6 (see soilsisters.wixsite.com/soilsisters). Farm tours, on-farm dinners and a slew of workshops covering everything from educational seminars about starting your own farm or creating a home food business to DIY projects like fermenting, felting and barn board painting. Or just hang out on a farm and enjoy a meal, pizza or craft cocktails.
Learning more about how food is produced makes each recipe you craft with those musky heirloom tomatoes, sugar-sweet corn or flavorful pork shoulder all the more delicious.