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<\/a>Quinn Wilson \/ In Motion<\/figcaption><\/figure>Characterized by their fresh, locally grown produce, farmer\u2019s markets are destinations for organic eaters, health-food junkies and anyone seeking fresh fruits and vegetables not found in a grocery store.<\/p>\n
Compared to the large buildings and vast selections that grocery stores provide, farmer\u2019s markets are tiny and limited in their products. But that doesn\u2019t stop customers from flocking to their local markets on Saturday mornings.<\/p>\n
William and Kathleen Lazarus, the latter of whom is a Senior Professor of English at Daytona State College, have shopped at farmer\u2019s markets for decades in the northern states of Connecticut and Ohio, as well as in Florida. The Lazaruses always stop at markets before buying produce at the grocery store.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the markets we\u2019ve been to are pretty small. They usually have around 20 to 30 vendors. The markets up North are pretty much like what we have here. People grow their vegetables or produce or whatever outside of the city and bring it in to the markets,\u201d says William Lazarus.
\nMrs. Lazarus adds, \u201cThey usually all have pretty much the same things at the same times, too, because of the growing seasons. Sometimes we can only buy certain things at the markets and then we have to get whatever else we need at the grocery store.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo Tetreault used to sell citrus at markets in Titusville and Melbourne and is currently a citrus vendor at the New Smyrna Beach Norwood\u2019s Farmer\u2019s Market. He fresh-squeezes orange juice twice a week and picks oranges from his neighbor\u2019s grove the day before he takes them to the market. It\u2019s no secret that fresh produce like Tetreault\u2019s citrus has a higher quality than what\u2019s sold in a grocery store. The proof lies in the flavor, as Tetreault\u2019s customers confirm.
\n\u201cAll my customers at the market won\u2019t buy juice at the store. They just don\u2019t like it after having my juice,\u201d says Tetreault.<\/p>\n
William and Kathleen Lazarus believe that produce bought at farmer\u2019s markets is better than that sold in commercial stores such as Publix and Winn-Dixie.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s just no comparison in the flavor. We can\u2019t stand to buy our vegetables at the grocery store anymore because it doesn\u2019t taste nearly as good. You can tell just by looking at the vegetables at farmer\u2019s markets that it\u2019s fresher than grocery store produce. Plus, it\u2019s overpriced,\u201d says Mrs. Lazarus.<\/p>\n
Freshness is the key to good flavor. The sticker on grocery store produce reveals its age. A majority of the time the label will read \u201cVenezuela,\u201d \u201cGuatemala,\u201d \u201cMexico\u201d or \u201cBrazil,\u201d or it may be from some other foreign country. China, for example, leads the world in the export of apples. The kicker is that this foreign produce and even produce from the United States, has been hauled so far, refrigerated for so long and has passed through so many hands that it loses freshness and quality in the drawn-out shipping process.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the time it goes from the grower to the distributor to the store, I mean come on, how fresh could it be? There\u2019s a lot of handling there,\u201d says William \u201cBill\u201d Tomazin, a fourth generation vegetable farmer and produce vendor.<\/p>\n
Farmers realize that the freshness of their produce is unmatched by their competitors, the grocery stores. They see it as an advantage and weigh that in when determining the prices of their produce. Prices get close to or sometimes higher than the prices in grocery stores, but that doesn\u2019t scare customers away.<\/p>\n
Tetreault says, \u201cA lot of vendors charge a little bit more than a grocery store would. But the people are willing and there\u2019s no problem paying it because of the higher quality. And they know it\u2019s fresh, especially when it\u2019s local produce. Because a lot of the time they\u2019ll ask me, \u2018Where did you get the oranges?\u2019 \u2018Where\u2019s the grove?\u2019 And that\u2019s only because they\u2019re interested. They want to know where they come from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shopping at farmer\u2019s markets doesn\u2019t guarantee huge deals and cheap buys. But for the unmatched quality of their produce, a few extra dollars can be well worth it to the consumer.
\nDespite having fresh and local produce, farmer\u2019s markets do not have near the amount of consumers that grocery stores do. Farmer\u2019s markets are typically only open once a week, putting them at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n
Tomazin adds that another problem markets face is not too many people are aware of the markets either, especially the smaller or newer ones.<\/p>\n
Tetreault sells his citrus at the Farmer\u2019s Market at Norwood\u2019s Seafood Restaurant in New Smyrna Beach, open from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays. Tomazin sells his produce at a nearby market called \u201cThe Original\u201d New Smyrna Beach Farmers\u2019 Market, which runs from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays. This market is located at Old Fort Park and City Hall on Sams Avenue. A larger market where Tomazin also sells is the Volusia County Farmers Market. The Wednesday market is held from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Volusia County Fairgrounds in DeLand. Another large market in Volusia County is the Daytona Downtown Farmers\u2019 Market. It is open every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City Island parking lot next to the Jackie Robinson Ballpark.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jewell Tomazin Special to In Motion Characterized by their fresh, locally grown produce, farmer\u2019s markets are destinations for organic eaters, health-food junkies and anyone seeking fresh fruits and vegetables not found in a grocery store. Compared to the large buildings and vast selections that grocery stores provide, farmer\u2019s markets are Continue reading Farm fresh food gives biggest bang for your bite<\/span>