Willy

Over the course of the summer, Aaron and I befriended a local farmer named Willy. Every Saturday, Willy set up a table in the Southern States parking lot. (Southern States is like the farm/garden supply store. It's where you get seeds, chicken feed, donkey bridles, etc. In the summer, you can buy local produce by the peck and bushel. It's probably my favorite store besides Gabes.) Each Saturday, there is also a farmers market elsewhere, which is great if you're feeling rich, but the majority of those vendors are over-priced and too fancy. I like the idea of buying something directly from the farmer for a price that is good for him and for me. Willy's price is typically $1 for almost any pint of produce or bunch of veg. His maple syrup was under $3. His honey was $3, but we'd get 75 cents back if we return the jar. But why would we want to? Look how cool it is:


I think that what people have forgotten is that to buy food directly from the farmer, it doesn't have to be fancy stuff. It can just be things that you didn't get a chance to plant yourself. Another difference between the farmers market and Willy is that at the farmers market, they don't expect you to grow your own food. They don't really want to talk shop from the farming perspective, and if they talk shop at all, it's only from the business perspective. Willy gave us great tips on our garden all summer. He talked tomato blight with us. He asked how things were coming along. I wish there were more Willy's in parking lots everywhere.