The Hitching Lot Farmers’ Market in Columbus has officially closed for the season. It will reopen again in April of 2015. Although I am not an official member of the Advisory Committee any longer, the market holds a special spot in my heart. I have worked on it off and on since 2007 and shop there as often as I can.
The importance of our market and others cannot be understated, especially for smaller cities and towns. Alphonso Morales of the University of Wisconsin-Madison wrote that farmers’ markets are “sites of informal association in that they bring together disparate groups, exposing them to distinct interactions, renewing community spirit, and reconstituting public spaces by producing fluid places that promote interaction, level social hierarchies and encourage experimentation.”
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Under Secretary Kathleen Merrigan cited local food as one of the most important trends at all levels in the food industry, and a study by the MSU Extension Service found that in 2010 26 Mississippi farmers’ markets generated a total economic impact of $1.6 million, 16 part-time jobs, $213,720 in wages and $16,000 in state and local taxes.
I remember 10 years ago when the word “locavore” was just starting to be used in publications. Funny, I just read a food writer’s column where she stated the word as one of the most annoying to her. Locally-sourced food was mostly a California movement moved forward by Alice Waters with her restaurant, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley. She has gone on to start the “The Edible Schoolyard Project,” helping public schools to plant student gardens and use the produce in the lunchrooms. And, “farm to table” has become ubiquitous as a restaurant style. I have nothing but good feelings about this. Hmmm … potato salad made in a giant potato salad factory with something they profess to be bacon (?) and made who-knows-when, then trucked 2,000 miles to a grocery store — or Mr. Ellis’s little bitty red potatoes steamed and tossed with herbs and olive oil. You pick.
In general, local farmer’s markets offer:
The Hitching Lot Farmers’ Market won’t be the deciding factor in whether a large plant chooses our area to build, nor will it ensure that Columbus Air Force Base remains open. However, it absolutely, without a doubt in my mind, enhances the quality of living in Columbus and adds to the attractiveness of the town. This does indeed make a difference.
Mark you calendar now for the November 22 Holiday Market. This is a fun way to stock up on handmade crafts and other goods to take to your relatives and to stuff all of your stockings.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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