I am so lame. For two years now, I have been getting notices from the Parkmerced Farmer's Market, which is set up less than 5 miles from my house. I could practically walk there. Yet, I always choose one of the bigger markest, Alemany or Ferry Plaza.
I finally went there on Saturday, only for the reason that I didn't have a lot of time and it was convenient. It was a little bit hard to find, but eventually I saw these signs:
Nestled in between some pretty unattractive high rises, it it set up on an empty patch of concrete and has about 12 stalls, with about 3 food stalls at one end and some tables for eating. For a lot of people, this would be way too small, but for me it was perfect. I settled down in a plastic chair and sipped a perfectly made Earl Grey tea and ate a vegetarian crepe, all the while indulging in some great people-watching.
The shopping portion of my excursion took no time at all - 10 minutes, tops. I got everything I could have thought of - some Beckman's granola for breakfast, Brentwood corn, Ice Princess peaches, raw organic almonds, and some beautiful dahlias.
Everything I bought has been wonderful! This is probably the first time I have visited a FM and not ended up throwing some things away - because I simply bought what I needed and didn't get distracted by other things, I actually ended up with a reasonable amount of food.
Best of all, every vendor that I visited was extremely nice and thanked me for stopping by. I really felt like I could become part of the community there, something I don't normally feel when I am fighting the crowds at the other markets. Don't get me wrong, I love going to the bigger ones too, but I doubt anyone would ever recognize me as a "regular" there.
With its convenient location, great quality produce, and ease of shopping, you can be sure that this will be my new go-to farmers market. It's about time!
