How lucky we are!
Shopping for good fresh, locally produced food items is so much easier in the Upper Valley than the places I have travelled this winter. The psuedo-farm-markets (Fresh Market, Whole Foods, etc.) are better than the average supermarket, but it seems to be more about displaying things in ways that lead customers to buy into the illusion that they are somehow connecting you more closely to the food you are purchasing.
There is plenty of fresh fish and seafood if you seek it out in South Florida, but for all the local agriculture (esp. tomatoes and strawberries) it is next to impossible to get anything not available just as locally and of equal (if dubious) quality at the supermarket chains (of which there are many).
People often ask what I like best about my job,and I answer, “I eat really well.” We are so lucky to have all the local small farms, cheesemakers, bakers, Amy and Earl at Strafford Organic Creamery, and (although I can be rough on them) the Coops. It’s easy to forget how people in so much of the rest of the country are forced to shop. Good for us.
