Farmers Markets

If you were being sent into exile, forced to live in a new location for the rest of your life, with no chance of ever leaving where are sent to live, where would you choose to go?  My answer is simple, across the street from the Central Market in Florence Italy.  I have always loved markets, Florence is one of the best I have ever seen.  

When we travel I am always looking for markets.  The picture above was taken in a small town in Germany, where we stopped for lunch and stumbled into the market on the square by the church.  We had a wonderful lunch along the side of the square.  

The market on Market Square in Alexandria runs year around, though in winter is kind of sparse.  There are a lot of new vendors this spring. The chicken man is back this spring, he raises free range birds in Maryland.  He provides loving care of his birds.  It shows in the quality of his eggs.  He has a contract to supply eggs through a local supermarket, I can buy his eggs cheaper at the supermarket, than I can from him on market square.  I prefer to buy them from him.  He makes a little more, I get to spend a minute encouraging him to keep up the good work.   

There are an increasing array of other seasonal markets in the area, including a group that requires that the vendors be the person who grew or produced the produce they sell.  

Do you go out of your way to visit markets?