eat oakland

State Farmer's Market - Raleigh, NC

NARRATIVE
I awoke this morning in my nephew's room in my father's house in Raleigh, NC. The great state of North Carolina is beautiful and my dad's move to the capital from Florida opened me to the whole Southern thing. North Carolina has all the sophistication of the North East and the gentry and hospitality the South has to offer.

CONTACT INFORMATION
State Farmer's Market
1201 Agriculture Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 733-7417

HOURS
Sat-Sun: 8am-5pm

WARES
Produce from all over the state, jams/jellies/preserves, meats and cheeses, wines, crafts, and if you can't wait to get home to cook you can have an AWESOME breakfast at the restaurant on-site.

PRICE RANGE
Inexpensive - Bought the whole dang market. I come for the taste of Carolina. So I bought some Scuppernong grapes ($2.50 a pint), boiled peanuts ($3.00 a pint), and Moonshine Jelly ($2.50 a jar). The Dead Sea Bath Salts were $10.00 for a pound, scented with essential oils, or I could mix-and-match 3 tubes equalling a 1/3 of a pound for the same price. The woman at the stand was AWESOME.

SUMMARY
I bounced up the security ramp in the Oakland Airport knowing I was flying into Raleigh for La Fiesta del Pueblo and a chance to see my father, mother, nephew, and two of my favourite aunts. I landed late last night, visited with family and knew I would be dropping dad off at home to have auto access. (Raleigh is a VERY auto-necessary place.)

I appreciated going to the Market this morning with my nephew after dropping my dad off at work, picking up some Scuppernong grapes (which taste like grape soda!), boiled peanuts, Moonshine jelly, and Dead Sea Bath salts. (I had a conversation with the artisan about An Inconvenient Truth and Who Killed the Electric Car.)

The Piedmont air filled my lungs, the humidity kissed my skin, and my nephew and I had a laugh about how he wouldn't go to a stall that sold rabbit.

I love the Farmer's Market here because it is a way of life, not a thing for the "sophisticates only." The world hangs out here. You'll find farmers of all stripes. Saris float in front of me while I hear a familia pride over its fruit to my right. The Asian families were picking over vegetables. It's a far cry from the Bay, but it's where I get my Benneton demographic fix when I'm visiting my parents.

SERVICE
Man, you just can't beat Southern hospitality. Sir and Ma'am is just how you address folks, and if one stall doesn't have what you need, no worries...the merchant will point you to his or her friend down the way who is sure to have what you need in stock.

I purchased some flavoured honey sticks for my nephew and he and I talked about how everyone was so nice and how it was so different from a grocery store.

Yeah, I dig the open air and the scents...I couldn't believe all of the gorgeous plants you could buy, too! Who knew I could get my landscaping done, as well as my groceries, notions, and crafts.
Farmers provide our food. Period. And I'm always appreciative of that, that's why I stop on by and see what's in season.

The peaches here are GORGEOUS. They're pretty nice out West, but this is the HOMELAND of the peach.

On the way to the car, I started peeling open my boiled peanuts and tasting the slightly salted water and letting the soft flesh fill my mouth with the familiar flavour. I can't find them in California. I need to look up a decent recipe and try.

Come and try (one of) my home state's offerings. Then you can go to the home of the Wolf Pack, and perhaps over to Cameron Village. Once you know Raleigh, it's pretty easy to scoot around and find one treasure after another.

REST ROOMS
Beautiful facilities for men and women with access for those in wheelchairs and buggies. The Farmer's Market here is an institution, not a fly-by-night stall thing, so the service and infrastructure is just awesome."

posted by wrki @ 12:22 PM