I’ve always wondered: Is it just me, or does everyone have a bit of a love-hate relationship with farmers’ markets? In the bleakest part of winter, I count down the days until those stands are open and the tomatoes no longer taste like plastic. I put down the dates in my calendar and start anticipating what I’ll see, what I’ll buy. And then I remember what I’ll regret.
There is so much to love about these collectives. My favorites are in Kirkwood, mere blocks from my house, and Tower Grove, because I go there with my friend Isabel Biesterfield of Jennifer’s Pharmacy & Soda Shoppe. Down on Argonne Drive, I stroll the less than a dozen stalls of the Kirkwood Farmers’ Market. It takes no time at all. But at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, I faithfully follow Biesterfeld’s detailed and unwavering rules, which start with ordering the sandwich special from The Big Cheese.
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I always buy big. How could you not? The produce is perfect. There’s the lady in the corner with the gorgeous heritage tomatoes whose grandson helps her make change…the young Amish couple with the tiny, still-dirty red potatoes… I load up on everything green, from beans to kale. Then there are Ivan’s fresh figs, always a must-have. And the delectable rhubarb popsicles? Absolutely.
But here comes the hate part of the equation. My family of three can only eat so much. My eyes are always considerably bigger than our dinner plates will ever be. If I go to Tower Grove, it’s a Saturday-morning trip, and by Wednesday, my guilt about all the aging produce in the refrigerator is building.
So I’m taking a new tack this year. I’ll still go, I’ll still buy big, but I’ll be ready at home with my FoodSaver bags and Mason jars. This year, what I buy in the sweet heat of summer will be saved and savored throughout the year. This year, I plan to forget the regret.
