Farmers Market offers fresh food, information

My granddaddy was a farmer, and he was constantly sending me home with fresh vegetables after every visit - nothing really beats a fresh grown tomato or bell pepper.

Last week, after I repeatedly told myself I was going to check out the Aiken County Farmers Market, I finally went there for a story. It was a Tuesday morning, but the turnout was still pretty good. One table was set up with milk, eggs and large jars of golden honey. Other tables held fresh okra, blueberries and peppers of the most brightest and vibrant colors.

I find myself envying the lifestyle of a farmer. Spending time outdoors working on a farm sounds like a fun, fulfilling job especially after you gather up the fruits and vegetables you worked so hard to grow. I spent a lot of time on my granddaddy's farm helping him pick vegetables and feeding his cattle. I enjoyed it immensely, but I was always exhausted by the end of the day. I would help him out for one day and go back to my normal routine while he would continue on with his early mornings and long days of hard, physical labor.

It is hard work, and it's one of those jobs that never stop. It's a fragile career, too, as farmers depend on the weather, the most unpredictable and volatile thing in the world, to assist in the growth of their crops.

I know my granddaddy had some rough years on the farm - especially when the price of feed for his cattle increased and people started buying less and less locally. The financial balance was altered - he was spending more money than he was making to keep his farm going. That hasn't stopped him though; he's 70, still raising cattle and growing his pepper and bean gardens.

Buying local can be a little more expensive, but there are some advantages of doing so. When you go to the farmers market, you actually have the opportunity to talk to the individual who produced the food you are about to purchase and consume. Patrice Buck of Butter Patch Farms in Saluda was selling eggs, and she shared a ton of information about her product with me. All of her chickens have the ability to roam around - they are not confined to a cage. They also are not given any steroids or medications, and she told me all about their diets. That five-minute conversation was quite informative, and it's something you will never get at a grocery store.

Plus, something I heard a lot of people say as they were purchasing foods from the farmers market was that the fruits and vegetables they were getting from these local entrepreneurs just tasted better. I'd have to believe what they are saying is true since many of them said they are repeat customers. In addition, the food itself seems more delectable visually with their rich colors - some of the vegetables looked so perfect that they didn't look real.

I personally don't buy local foods enough, but, after all the recalls in recent years, I really am beginning to think I should. Also, after years of getting spoiled by the fresh vegetables out of my granddaddy's garden, I can taste a difference when I purchase those same items from a grocery store.

I did make my first purchase at the farmers market that day though it was not edible, it used to be - it was a bird house made out of a gourd. The gentleman had made several bird houses and bird feeders out of the hollow shells, painting them in a variety of different colors.

I bought an emerald green bird house for only $3, and it is hanging from a tree limb outside my apartment. A bird hasn't decided to reside in the pear-shaped gourd yet.

I'm hoping one will, as long as it is not a blue jay, which are possibly the most vicious birds I know. I've heard stories - my dad and all four of his siblings have been attacked by those little blue monsters, sometimes unprovoked. I also hope I don't collect hornets or some other stinging creature in my bird house either.

I do find myself peeking into it every morning, and I've found no evidence of anything living in it yet. I find it to be prime real estate and expected it to be taken over by a feathered friend immediately. I'm impatient.

For suggestions of where Amy Banton should go to next, contact her at abanton@aikenstandard.com.