North Carolina Farmer's Market

While in Germany I shopped at the weekly markets in Bonn and Bad Godesburg. The markets were great and offered a huge variety of vegetables, meats, and cheeses. The problem that I had shopping in these markets, though, was that I didn't always know were the food was coming from.

Some stands were labeled with the location of the farm -- and sometimes I even knew where the town was -- but more often then not I knew that the produce being sold was not local. As delicious as the pineapples, bananas, and kiwis were, there is now way that they were being grown anywhere near the Rhein no matter what the season.

Now that I'm back in Raleigh, I have been frequenting the farmer's market here. There are a number of farmer's markets in the area, and the one that I go to is the NC State Farmer's Market located at 1201 Agriculture Street in Raleigh. All of the farmers are from North Carolina and only seasonal items are sold.

The awesome thing about North Carolina is that there is a great selection of local and seasonal produce. Every week I am able to get root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, beets, onions, and turnips and a huge variety of greens, including kale, collards (of course), and mustard greens. I've also discovered that there are some unexpected treats available this time of year. There is a farmer who grows hothouse tomatoes and another one who produces a variety of lettuces (including the most delicious butter lettuce, which stays fresh in the fridge for well over a week). There is even a German baker who sells brezels and pastries.

But the single most surprising items so far -- strawberries. That alone makes me happy to be living in the south.