Support Your Local Farmers in Panama and Globally.
Today Was Market Day for @AnaHilarski and I.
We are lucky to have a farmers market about 5 minutes from our home. Anything that is grown locally in Panama is available at the open air market. We go to the one here in Chorrera, Panama. There is also a huge one in Panama City but any town has fruit and vegetable vendors. The great thing is that anyone can set up a stand along the road.
The whole take of produce cost around $25. That includes the local honey with a chunk of honeycomb in it. We will cut up the pineapple and papaya for freezing. If we went to a grocery store the cost would have been 20-30% higher. Plus visiting with your local farmers and vendors is always a treat.
If You Buy Imported Fruits and Vegetables Prepare to Be Robbed.
Expat Madness.
It always amazes me when people move to Panama and insist on buying the same produce they bought back home. We commonly hear expats claiming that groceries are expensive in Panama. I typically say to them, where do you shop? The response is usually one of the top two most expensive grocery stores here. I gave up trying to explain to people face to face how asinine this is. So I just write passive aggressive blog posts showing them how much they are missing out on.
Some Things That are Imported.
- Apples
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Strawberries (We have one brand but they are not tasty.)
- Large Eggplant
- Berries
- Cheeses (Local Cheese is Pretty Good.)
There are So Many Reasons to buy Local.
- Support Your Local Economy.
- Less Energy Needed to Transport Produce.
- More Money in Your Wallet.
- Produce is Picked at Optimum Times Rather Than Too Early.
- Flavor! The Produce Has Flavor.
- You Get to Know Your Vendors and Farmers.
- Select Produce That is in Season and Cook Accordingly.
- It is More Fun!
It is very good of you to speak about the benefit of farmers/local vendors. IN this digital world, farmers are the only one who earns the least while they produce the most important thing for our life, The Food we eat. We should respect and support more to farmers instead of going to big grocery stores. So good of you to write a post like this
I agree with buying local for all the reasons you mentioned, especially the part about knowing your farmers. You know and trust the source, which makes all the difference. Great looking fruit market and thanks for sharing!
What really gets me about americans is how paranoid about cleanliness and refrigeration they are. OMG, the ham has been left out of the fridge for an hour, have to throw it away.
What most americans don't know, is that all of those vegetables that look clean are actually drenched in insecticides, moldicides, gasoline, ethylene, and more. It is so bad that each crate of produce has to have an MSDS about what is on it already... because many of these compounds are deadly if used together.
So, you get the typical american to a farmers market, and they are all like eeewww.
You're right though, they don't like to see a little dirt.
Beautiful post , farmers should have high salary because without them , we might be running out of food. I greatly respect their hard work!
Thank you for sharing :-)
I'm hooked on reason number 3! Say no more!
I'm fortunate enough to grow up in a town where most foods are grown locally. Sure there always will be big brand imports but the choice is obvious when looking at a 1 kilogram local banana priced at less than $0.30 versus some gas ripened container shipped apples at $2.
I understand however the mindset of a typical person where they assumed imported=better. That's a classic salesman lie and if the person can't wrap his head around it, sucks to be him for burning up his money, a punishment not severe enough relative to the effect of his action to the environment/local economy.
Plus the small talk you'll have with the market's old lady is forever ten thousand times better than the canned smile of a cashier.
#Truth!
Good reminder of how important local farmers are. Since I live in the Garden State, NJ, we always have wonderful locally grown produce.
Hahaha
I'm pretty sure it's '... and me' in this case.
I mean grammatically, because I wasn't there.
All of the reasons you've listed are great, but 6 is so important. Most people are so disconnected from the food they eat that it's easy for them to get sold on false marketing claims about what is heathy/safe/animal friendly and what is not. If they took the time to speak to the farmer, they would learn so much!
Local fruit and vegetable markets are so awesome. There's always a good vibe to be had at one. Congrats on the stash of produce, looks good!