Local Produce…Local Pride
by Paula De Angelis
As a kid, I remember going to the Clinton Bailey Farmer’s Market with my folks. Mom would get a few eight quart baskets of over ripe fruit, which is just perfect for jam; and dad would grab a bushel of tomatoes. When we got home mom, Grandma De Angelis and I would start the canning process. For the tomatoes, my job was adding a teaspoon of salt and a basil leaf into each glass jar. When we made jam, I got to smooch the fruit with the potato masher.
Now I take my son Nick to the Clinton Bailey market looking for over ripe fruit. And he get’s a kick out of smooching the fruit with the potato masher. Ah, the circle of life!
But the best part of this memory is that the Clinton Bailey Market still exists. The fact is farmer’s markets are growing in popularity. The 2007 Census of Agriculture reported $1.2 billion in food was sold directly from farmers to consumers, which is a 17% increase over the past five years. In mid-2008, the farmer’s market directory listed 4,685 farmers markets operating in the United States, which is a 6.8 percent increase from 2006.
The Farmer’s Market is something that Fr. Paul D. Seil, host of Our Daily Bread is very passionate about. So much so, that we devoted an entire show to local produce. Join him in the kitchen on Saturday August 14th at 5:30 am and noon on WKBW-TV Ch. 7, as he creates a few simple and delicious dishes with produce grown right here in Western New York. And remember to check the check the our recipe page for all of his delisious dishes!
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