Food, Glorious Food!

Great minds think alike. Not only is visiting a farmers' market listed in my Summer Homework packet, it's also number 37 in 101 Places You Gotta See Before You're 12! On our trip, Fluffy and I had an opportunity to visit a market and check out some interesting vegetables. You can too--scroll down to read about four farmers' markets right here in Houston!

"A farmers' market is about so much more than fresh vegetables (although those are pretty awesome). Depending on where you live, you might find: musical entertainment; handmade soaps and lotions; fresh honey with the honeycomb still in the jar; or homemade cider, jams, and jellies (and usually lots of free samples!). A farmers' market changes with the seasons, so you'll never see exactly the same place twice. . . A visit to a farmers' market is a great way to find out about what grows in your area and be close to your food source."

Little known fact: In college, I took a "Sustainable Agriculture" class with environmentalist David Orr. It was not so much about wanting to become a farmer (never a personal goal). In a culture of packaged, processed, faceless, fast, far-from-home food, it was about reconnecting with the land and that which sustains us. Here are a few more benefits of eating local food . . .

Connection: You'll develop a sense of time and place as you begin to learn what grows in this soil, in this climate, in this particular season. You'll also come to see yourself as a part of the local food chain.

Energy & Ecology: Buying food that was grown nearby means that it hasn't been transported across the country--or halfway around the world--like much of what is in our grocery stores (next time you're there, check the labels to see how far those tired puppies have traveled!). In turn, this means less fuel consumption and less pollution.

Flavor: You'll get fruits and vegetables that were selected for flavor rather than their potential for becoming world travelers.

Freshness: With local farms, there is less time (and distance!) between harvest and your home.

Health: Often the choices at farmers' markets include produce without pesticides and meat, dairy, and eggs from animals without antibiotics or growth hormones.

Relationship: Not only will you get to meet, face-to-face, the people who grow your food, you will also build relationships in the kitchen and at the table, as you slow down enough to prepare and consume fresh food together.

Economy: When you buy food from the farmers who live near you, you are helping to keep our city's economy strong--and keep your neighbors employed.

Houston Farmers' Markets:

Bayou City Farmers' Market: Every Saturday, 8am-noon (rain or shine); Near Richmond Ave. & Eastside, in the parking lot behind 3000 Richmond

Midtown Farmers' Market: Every Saturday, 8am-noon (rain or shine) @3701 Travis St., inside & outside t'afia restaurant; Chef Monica Pope offers FREE cooking classes every Saturday at 9:30am

Houston Farmers' Market: Tuesdays, 3:30-7pm @2100 University Blvd., Visitors West Lot of Rice University campus; Saturdays, 8am-noon @3106 White Oak, behind Onion Creek Coffee House

Central City Co-op Green Market: Sundays, noon-4pm (except August) @1500 McKinney St., on the Andrea & Bill White promenade in Discovery Green Park



Kids in the Kitchen:
Fanny at Chez Panisse by Alice Waters


Local Food Inspiration & Resources for Adults:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
Reasons to support sustainable/local/slow food
Urban Harvest
My Life in France by Julia Child
Fresh from the Farmers' Market: Year-Round Recipes for the Pick of the Crop by Janet Fletcher
The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters


Garden-to-Table Programs for Children:
Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea by Alice Waters
Inside the Edible Schoolyard Classroom: The Garden Companion
The Edible Schoolyard program (Berkeley)
The Edible Schoolyard Lessons & Recipes
Chefs in Schools program (Houston)
Recipe for Success Foundation (Houston)
Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education (Houston)
Kids Cooking Green (Lexington, MA)