Whole Food

The first farmers market in SF appeared in 1943 at Market and Duboce. In a story that reminds me of a particular film noir, it began as a way for farmers to subvert the predatory distributors, sell directly to the customer and reap a fairer reward for their labors. While the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is no doubt a decidedly lavish version of that first market, it still represents a vital marketplace for the farmers and a boon to consumers.

Many of the producers grow on vestigial pieces of land in Sonoma and Marin counties, where continuing suburban sprawl and centralized food processing threatens not only the agricultural heritage of this land but its rich and dynamic ecology.

I had the opportunity this past weekend to visit Marin Sun Farms which tends an amazing piece of land inside Point Reyes National Seashore. The farmer/rancher, David Evans, led us from chicken hatchlings to turkeys to hens to goats (with cattle roaming the hills in every direction) all the while connecting his family’s long history in West Marin, the realities of ’sustainable’ and ‘organic’ labels, small family farms, feedlots and more, to the way he and his family currently manage Marin Sun. For me, the tour really confirmed an interdependence of farmer and consumer, ecosystem and food. The more informed and connected we are to our food sources the more sustainable and healthy our food sources can be.

Getting my produce fresh-pulled from the ground and talking to the farmers at the market establishes a valuable connection with what I eat. Reading about the relationship of sun and grass, grazing and fertilizing in say, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, can further elucidate the link. Actually witnessing this relationship on a farm, and in a small way, participating in it makes me want to consider each time I eat, Where did this food come from? Who grew it? How did they raise it? I’d show you the chicken I bought at Marin Sun but I’m not sure everyone is as ready for head and feet on their food as I am. Might I suggest a farm tour to get you better acquainted?