Last Friday was the day I dipped my toe into buying local grocery items and it was met with a few hiccups. Of course The Mostess Hostess brings high quality, local products to my Atlanta gift baskets but I wanted to apply my business model to my regular life. I wanted to walk to talk.
Early last week I ordered on line from a local farm 1 dozen fresh eggs and 1 gallon of fresh milk, lightly pasteurized. I filled out the online form, pressed enter and got a screen that said “See you on delivery day!” Delivery day was Friday at Toco Hills between 2:30p and 3:30p. And JUST to be sure I called said farm to make sure they had my order. The man I talked to couldn’t say for certain but if I got a screen that said “See you on delivery day!” I would be set.
Okay, so I’m set. I get to Toco Hills around 3p and realize that it’s a pretty big complex and I wasn’t sure what or who to look for. A big tent? A big sign with the farm’s name alongside a big truck? I did one loop in my car around the perimeter. Nothing. So I figured I’d call the farm back to see what the deal was. The same man answered. He couldn’t tell me where the pick-up site was at Toco Hills, he actually hadn’t been on a delivery in over a year. He said they just added Toco Hills as a pick up site. Frustrated (but sweet on the outside), I asked what I should be looking out for- it’s a big place, you see, and I was a first-timer. The man said look for “A big blue "Dooley" with a trailer and some coolers”. Okay. I don’t know what a "Dooley" is and had to look it up online later that night. It’s actually Dually. Context clues told me, though, that it was a very big truck. I did a second sweep but I saw nothing that could remotely be my guy in the big blue Dually. Plus I had to bribe the car-sick children in the back with some ice cream for being so patient. Needless to say, I did not get my 1 dozen free range eggs and 1 gallon of lightly pasteurized milk. I was aggravated because of the wasted trip and gas. I’m trying to be green! It wouldn’t be difficult to tell customers on the website what/who to look for on delivery day and a contact number. Said farm ought to hire me to be their VP of customer service.
That night, I went to the Lilburn Outdoor Farmers Market to check out a biscotti maker that I wanted to include in my Atlanta gift baskets. It looked promising- almost like a festival. There must have been 3 dozen booths or so. I chatted to some vendors, inquiring about wholesale or bulk order discounts on this or that. I was somewhat disappointed because the prices in general were exorbitant. The cheapest bar of soap there was $7 and there wasn’t anything to it. A guy was selling salsa at $8 a jar. Whoa! I thought I'd try it for an Atlanta gift basket and it wasn’t that good! You're better off buying a store-bought brand or, better yet, making your own (Below is an awesome salsa recipe). The produce was so–so looking but I let my daughter pick out 4 unfortunate cucumbers for $2.
The biscotti, though, was Heaven and priced just right! If you see Beam Me Up Biscotti in your outdoor market travels, buy the dark chocolate chip and dried cherry variety. Delicious! There was also a lady who was selling pure, organic African cocoa butter. She had a sample displayed in a huge natural wood bowl with a big butter knife. It was silky smooth and so luxurious. I may be using it in a special Teacher's Atlanta gift basket. They use so much hand sanitizer that it dries out their skin. The pure cocoa butter offers more relief than anything over-the-counter I've tried.
I probably spent almost $40 in 10 minutes and was on the way back to car (hurrying because I didn’t want to spend anymore) when this man called out to me “Your grandmother told me to tell you that you need to learn how to pickle.” Ha Ha yeah right- But I decided to play along. I tried his homemade sweet pickles with cloves and they were pretty tasty. I tried some others and I barely got them pass my gullet. I asked him where he got his produce, was it organic, etc? I told him I was an Atlanta gift basket provider and I asked how much the sweet, clove pickles were. He said $7.10 for the small jar. It seemed unbelievable! There was no labeling, everything had a muddy look to it... But my folly was this- I kept talking and the more I talked to him the more I felt like I HAD to buy something. A weird guilt gripped me. So I bought those damn $7 pickles.
Friday I helped the local economy a little bit but I didn’t feel like what I bought was a real value for the money. I’m sure other people have felt this way and why it’s hard to make the switch to buying local. It’s hard when farms don’t have their logistics in place or when folks make a sub par product. Big food companies buy ingredients in huge amounts thus keeping prices low. They staff taste-testers and food chemists to ensure quality. Millions are spent on marketing ensuring that the consumer receives the “right” message and the packaging is attractive.
I’m going to keep trying. It’s worth it when you find a gem. I put out those $7 pickles for some guests over the weekend and they were actually well received. We ate half the jar! So, kudos to you $7 Pickle Man. Kudos to you.
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Awesome Salsa Recipe
This is an original creation. It came from reading the backs of store bought salsa jars and is a healthier and fresher-tasting alternative.
1 large Jap (or more depending on how hot you like it)
1 bunch cilantro
6 to 8 green onions
12 to 15 Roman Tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 tablespoons white vinegar
Juice of 2 limes
salt & pepper to taste
In a food processor, chop tomatoes and garlic in batches. Transfer to bowl and add sugar. Sugar is essential to cut the tomato acidity. Stir well. Next, chop cilantro leaves, jalapeno, and green onion in food processor. Depending on the size of your processor, these next 3 ingredients can be done at once. Usually 4 to 5 good pulses will do. Transfer cilantro, jap and green onion mix to tomatoes and stir until
well combined. Add vinegar, olive oil and lime juice stir again.
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