West Seattle Farmers Market — Local services in Seattle

My husband and I have committed to use as little plastic as possible, buy local and overall reduce our footprint.

We decided to visit the West Seattle Farmers market on a whim yesterday to see what was available and if we should incorporate a weekly visit into our routine (we shop for groceries once a week from PCC and a bakery).

The market this time of year is small - and I expected that, but I was surprised by a few things.

1. I was intent on getting a bunch of asparagus, since it's in season. When I located a vendor that sold Asparagus, he placed my selected bunch on the scale and quoted the price: $8.95. Now, this was about the size of a normal asparagus bunch I've picked up at PCC or veggie stands for half that price. My husband and I politely declined, a little embarrassed.

2. At dairy stand, I selected to purchase a 10 oz container of Greek yogurt to accompany an Indian rice dish I planned on cooking. Already expensive At $4.50, I handed the vendor $5.50 since I had no $1's. I waited for my change while he continued a conversation he was having. He simply put the cash in the box, and went on with his conversation. After a couple of minutes of waiting to ask for change (again, feeling a little embarrassed) I gave up and walked away (am I supposed to tip too?).

3. At a vendor who sells meat and potatoes we picked up some pork chops on special, bacon and what would equate to a small bag of potatoes from PCC. The meat was reasonably priced, with pork chops at $6.75 lb on special. But they are covered in plastic. My hope was to avoid plastic at a farmers market, not find even more. I noted the price of potatoes in my head, $2.75 lb. I obviously needed some more caffeine because my brain didn't trigger. I had selected about 5 lbs of potatoes (easy to do - again, think small bag of potatoes from PCC or Safeway). The meat altogether was $17. The potatoes was another $17! The vendor did give us a break - everything for $30. At this point I felt to stupid to dump the potatoes back. But wow, I've never paid that much for potatoes in my life. Nor do I plan on doing so again soon!

We spent $50 in very short order for a PCC tote barely half full. I thought the idea of buying direct from the farmer was to cut the middle man out, support local growers and be active in your community - and of course get some great local food. While I'm willing to pay a premium for good food (we almost always buy organic produce, always grass fed beef, real farm eggs, etc.), the prices here were just a little ridiculous. It really saddened me. How can I argue against people who claim healthy food is too expensive for the working class when I myself feel fleeced after a stroll through the farmers market?

We drove to the West Seattle Produce Stand and found asparagus for $3.99 a bunch - same size. We normally frequent the Kent and Renton farmers market when they are in season - and have always come away satisfied with the friendly vendors and excellent produce. We visited West Seattle because it's open year round. After this experience though, I won't be visiting West Seattle's farmer market again...

Support your local farmers! You'd be surprised by some of the deals you'll find from some of the vendors here. It's easy to come away with a week's worth of vegetables for $20 if you shop around.

It's not as large and varied as the Ballard Farmer's Market, but it has a nice variety.

Collins Family Orchards is the best fruit stand at any market, in my opinion. Everything they produce is amazing, and they're all really decent people who charge a fair price for a quality product. Always check them out for fruit.

Alvarez Farms is great for vegetables, peanuts, and really -- just an interesting mix of different crops throughout the year. The guys who run their booth are always very friendly.

This market is sorely lacking in terms of meat producers. I'd love to see Skagit Valley Ranch make it over here, but I understand that Ballard probably draws in more traffic. It's just a shame that there isn't a quality bacon supplier at this market.

The woman who runs the information booth is extremely professional, efficient, and helpful. They take EBT if you're in need of that. From time to time, there are food trucks parked in the corner, behind Great Harvest Bread.

If you're unable to make it to Ballard, this market will probably suite most...

I go here every Sunday and I enjoyed the staff and their expertise individually at each tent. They give me my honey, Dairy, vegetables as well as the variety of other things based on the season. It is good to know that the people I ask questions to actually grew the food as it gives me a further understanding of my nutrition. I bought a shiitake mushroom growing kit for $10 from Sno Valley mushrooms and am totally happy I did. It currently is in its first days but it is a cool little thing to show off to my nephew as well as something that'll give me mushrooms to cook with. The guys at Sno Valley mushroom also have told me they have many types of mushroom depending on the season. I currently stand to buy several bags off them. I enjoyed the West Seattle farmers market because it allows me to do these kinds of things. Lastly I would say that it is important to respect our nutrition in this day in age as well as our pocketbooks. When I did the numbers the farmers market was much cheaper for just about anything. I would recommend using this Market once a week for produce and the other...