“The are benefits visiting a farmers market in light of coronavirus…you’re outside, there’s fresh air moving and the supply chain is shorter.”
-Yvonne Michael, epidemiologist at Drexel University School of Public Health
One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday morning is making a trip to the farmers market.
If you are starved for human contact, even if its 6 feet or more apart, this is the place. It is a feast of the senses. The bright colors of the produce stalls, being out in the fresh air, the scent from a variety of take out food booths including, Thai, Indian, Chinese, Mexican to mention a few, There is fish and meat, a rotisserie chicken truck and vegetarian crepes. There are dried fruit and nuts, a fresh Kettle Corn booth, great for watching movies from home. I can’t leave the market without my quart of fresh squeezed orange juice. Then there is the sound of music.
There is always a musician or band playing music from different genres and cultures. This passed Saturday featured singer-songwriter Ben James and his band. Based in Santa Cruz, CA. He has performed at the Kuumba Jazz Center, Zelda’s, The Fog Bank, The Miramar, San Jose and Campbell Concert Series and was the opening act for the "Greg Kihn Band," and Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks.” James is currently working on his 5th album.
There are plethora of markets to shop at on different days of the week. The most convenient for me, is the Saratoga Farmers Market at West Valley College on Saturday morning which has 50 farmstands. Due to the pandemic, this is an evolving story. Accommodations had to be made to adhere to state and county health codes.
Safety measures employed:
Chalk mark lines and signs to encourage social distancing
Limit on people per stall
Wider market aisles to reduce crowd density
Face coverings are required
Sampling of food is suspended.
Low risk, open-air environment.
Food Traveling and handling is at a much lower rate than commerical markets.
Then, there is natural sunlight that provides a powerful, natural disinfectant and exposure to Vitamin D.
Finally, health experts tell us, as a whole, the food is actually safer from Farmer’s Markets than commercial food stores.
Based on the study published in the Journal of Food Protection, which sampled produce and animal products from 44 certified Northern California farmer’s markets including the Bay Are, lead author Alda Pires, a research scientist in the UC Davis School of Veternarian Medicine concluded that based on the data, he thinks it’s safe to consume meat and produce from farmer’s markets.
Postscript: Women may be interested in checking out Nikki’s Designer Masks (Photo)
