A trip to the farm market
18 Apr 2020 11:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
motorharpSince I feel much better when I know what to expect when going places, and someone may stumble across this who feels the same, welcome to my shelter-in-place (technically stay-at-home?) farm market report.
Pre-ordering
Not only is the market open, but Hollywood Farmers Market has options for pre-ordering - both directly from the vendors, and through something called whatsgood. I wanted to order ahead of time so I would touch as few things as possible like money and credit cards and screens.
Ordering directly from the vendors varies widely: some have order pages, others take orders either by email or phone. Since I didn't want to figure out the logistics of ordering through email or phone (people usually stop responding, I think because I ask a LOT of (anxious) questions) I ordered through a couple websites.
Naked Acres has a really easy order from. You don't have to make an account, which is always a plus in my book. They're eggs are really good. Sungold has no membership fees at this time, has a $20 minimum order, and you have to create an account. They have really yummy beans. You can specify which market you want to pick up at.
I checked out the whatsgood order page. Or I tried to. You have to create an account before you can even see what's available (booo!). After I did, I found out they didn't have anything I wanted, and no produce (booo!). Also, just going to the website, it looks like they only serve Boston, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Chicago. After creating the account, there are options to pick specific markets.
HFM has prepared foods and mushrooms at this time. I decided to keep the account in case more gets added at a later date.
At the market
The stalls were spread out. Most, if not all, had twine marking shopping lanes, with enter and exit signs. I didn't take a picture because I'm trying not to touch my phone when I'm out and about.
I got there at the tail end of the senior hours, which is 8am-9am. There were very few people. That may have been the time or the weather. It was very cold and drizzly.
There was the usual mix of fresh prepared foods, prepared foods and produce stalls, just fewer of them.
Pablo Munoz Farms had strawberries, but I am hesitant to get them this early in the season.
Things that appear to be in season right now are: lettuces, kale, chard, new onions (tops and small scallion-looking onions), new garlic (whistles!), broccoli, and radishes.
Pick-up
Naked Acres had my lettuce bagged, but had to get eggs out of the cooler.
Sungold had a big plastic tray that I took my items out of.
I was eager to get fresh vegetables, so I bought things from two other stands. Paying with paper money makes me so aware now.
At Persephone Farm, I walked outside the rope and told them what I wanted as I walked down the line. They put my items in a tray*, I paid for them, and bagged my own items from the tray.
At Stoneboat, I could walk inside the rope and pick out my own things.
Upshot
I definitely liked pre-paying so I had less things to touch. Stoneboat had options for ordering ahead by email. I'd be concerned about paying through email and of course forgot to ask how that works because I was asking how they were doing.
I asked after all the farmers and they are all doing fine. One vendor had to rework how he delivers to restaurants, but that's about it.
I hope to go next week, and hope there are even more produce pre-order options.
*All the farms seemed to have these trays. Is it a farm thing? Or a farm market thing?
Pre-ordering
Not only is the market open, but Hollywood Farmers Market has options for pre-ordering - both directly from the vendors, and through something called whatsgood. I wanted to order ahead of time so I would touch as few things as possible like money and credit cards and screens.
Ordering directly from the vendors varies widely: some have order pages, others take orders either by email or phone. Since I didn't want to figure out the logistics of ordering through email or phone (people usually stop responding, I think because I ask a LOT of (anxious) questions) I ordered through a couple websites.
Naked Acres has a really easy order from. You don't have to make an account, which is always a plus in my book. They're eggs are really good. Sungold has no membership fees at this time, has a $20 minimum order, and you have to create an account. They have really yummy beans. You can specify which market you want to pick up at.
I checked out the whatsgood order page. Or I tried to. You have to create an account before you can even see what's available (booo!). After I did, I found out they didn't have anything I wanted, and no produce (booo!). Also, just going to the website, it looks like they only serve Boston, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Chicago. After creating the account, there are options to pick specific markets.
HFM has prepared foods and mushrooms at this time. I decided to keep the account in case more gets added at a later date.
At the market
The stalls were spread out. Most, if not all, had twine marking shopping lanes, with enter and exit signs. I didn't take a picture because I'm trying not to touch my phone when I'm out and about.
I got there at the tail end of the senior hours, which is 8am-9am. There were very few people. That may have been the time or the weather. It was very cold and drizzly.
There was the usual mix of fresh prepared foods, prepared foods and produce stalls, just fewer of them.
Pablo Munoz Farms had strawberries, but I am hesitant to get them this early in the season.
Things that appear to be in season right now are: lettuces, kale, chard, new onions (tops and small scallion-looking onions), new garlic (whistles!), broccoli, and radishes.
Pick-up
Naked Acres had my lettuce bagged, but had to get eggs out of the cooler.
Sungold had a big plastic tray that I took my items out of.
I was eager to get fresh vegetables, so I bought things from two other stands. Paying with paper money makes me so aware now.
At Persephone Farm, I walked outside the rope and told them what I wanted as I walked down the line. They put my items in a tray*, I paid for them, and bagged my own items from the tray.
At Stoneboat, I could walk inside the rope and pick out my own things.
Upshot
I definitely liked pre-paying so I had less things to touch. Stoneboat had options for ordering ahead by email. I'd be concerned about paying through email and of course forgot to ask how that works because I was asking how they were doing.
I asked after all the farmers and they are all doing fine. One vendor had to rework how he delivers to restaurants, but that's about it.
I hope to go next week, and hope there are even more produce pre-order options.
*All the farms seemed to have these trays. Is it a farm thing? Or a farm market thing?
