[Jaggy]

My First time at the market was Sat. I thought it was wonderful.. bought great produce.. a fly landed on the baked goods .... the gentlemen selling them was very nice, but I wouldn't buy due to them being uncovered..by the way, does anyone know where you can buy Mayport shrimp?? The vendor at Brownwood said his supplier was farm raised shrimp.. I miss my "real" shrimp..

[dmorhome]

all for what you said,i agree


QUOTE=Golfingnut;601628]We asked for an open air market and we now have a great one at Brownwood. If that style of market bothers you, please use one of the regulated grocery stores for your products and leave the open air markets to those of us that appreciate what they do. It is my opinion that you are more likely to pick something up in your favorite deli than in an open air market.[/QUOTE]

[NotGolfer]

Produce is priced well compared to the grocery stores here. I see no difference in how long they last. I've had some from the store spoil quickly as well as the markets. I will continue going to the farmer's market for my items. As for the bakery items...I've watched HGTV where they've shown places all over the world with open air vendors...much the same as this. I've been in bakeries and restaurants here where the folks could also use some fetching up. So each person probably needs to be discresionary about where they purchase.

[Happinow]

I love the Farmer's market. I did not see the stand with the uncovered items but I would never buy anything that wasn't wrapped or covered. If this vendor can't take the time to make sure his items are presented properly then how clean is his kitchen and baking habits??? Kinda like a restaurant that has a dirty bathroom.....tells ya something about their kitchen and restaurant cleanliness. I bought some baked breads from one vendor and all items were individually wrapped. They were yummy and I would buy from them again. I've also been in the Cotillion Cafe and they leave all of thei baked good out in open air all day where customers are sneezing and walking by them. I can imagine that this would pass health codes. While the desserts looks yummy, I did not eat any because I think it's very unsanitary to leave food out in open air amongst hundreds of people. No unwrapped baked goods for me.

[mulligan]

HUGE HEALTH PROBLEM ?? Don't think so. Customer wandering around with bubonic plague is a huge health problem. Wandering around OUTSIDE with a cigarette, not so much. Also, the reason the vegetables go bad so fast when compared to grocery store goods, is that they are actually ripe when picked, not half-ripened in a truck or warehouse. The famous cities where they have a lot of open air markets also have people that shop daily, and do not store for extended periods.

[Mikeod]

We buy regularly from the meat stand. The meat is frozen solid when we buy it, and we have been there when the market opens and when it is close to closing. When we get it home, it is still frozen solid. That company sells its product around the country and is featured at some Disney restaurants. It is unfair to state categorically that the meat cannot possibly be kept at the proper temp when it is obvious the writer never examined what was being sold out of the coolers.

And, BTW, their product is delicious. And try their homemade soap.

[KyWoman]

We have an outdoor freezer that we used on our boat that looks just like a regular cooler.

[skyguy79]

Originally Posted by mikeod

We buy regularly from the meat stand. The meat is frozen solid when we buy it, and we have been there when the market opens and when it is close to closing. When we get it home, it is still frozen solid. That company sells its product around the country and is featured at some Disney restaurants. It is unfair to state categorically that the meat cannot possibly be kept at the proper temp when it is obvious the writer never examined what was being sold out of the coolers.

And, BTW, their product is delicious. And try their homemade soap.

If you're talking about the same seller I'm thinking of (on the west side this Saturday) my wife has purchased meat from him in the past and it was still frozen solid when she placed it in our freezer.

BTW, how do you prepare the soap before serving it. Doesn't sound too appetizing to me!

[Mikeod]

Originally Posted by skyguy79

BTW, how do you prepare the soap before serving it. Doesn't sound too appetizing to me!

Oh, wash it thoroughly, pat it dry, bread it and deep fry it. I try to use bad words regularly since it tastes so good. You should change your name to SmartGuy, LOL.

[PennBF]

We travel all over Europe (driving) and we love to stop at their outdoor markets and buy their goods. If we have an apartment/vila we eat it there or we eat it as we drive through the great countrysides. We have never been sick from eating from their open air markets. Sounds like Brownwood's Open Air/Farmers Market is just a another way to get some fresh or good tasting foods. As the old person said the problem with today's citizens is that they "worry too much"..

[Villageshooter]

This is not a 3rd world country! There health dept rules for a reason , if a person or vendor chooses to ignore them and not use common sense that is there problem,,, I just don't enjoy having ashes from a Winston cigerette in my gooey butter cake .

[Patty55]

Y'know, I've seen a fly in the Publix bakery case.

[Trish Crocker]

I think we as Americans are sometimes too hygiene phobic. Of course I keep a clean kitchen, make sure everything is kept at the correct temperature..etc..etc. However, whenever you see pictures from around the world you will see outdoor markets and many types of food there. Have you personally ever known of anyone sickened or dying from buying at the market? Geez, try hanging around the produce section of your local Publix...watch the guy coughing into his hand then picking through the green peppers..or the lady scratching her head and then choosing which tomato she wants to buy. How about the morons that decide at the last minute that they don't want that package of hamburger and leave in on a shelf..which hours later is put back into the meat display. Trust me, a stray ash from someone cigarette is the least of the problem. If you have ever cooked over charcoal you will find a whole lot of ash hitting your food. How about the cook in your local restaurant, did he wash his hands?? We are exposed to contaminates every day, even the stuff we breathe in manages to make its way into our bodies. The antibodies that we build up to protect us from many germs ends up making us much stronger. If you are not comfortable eating food from an open market then don't do it. I would not make the vendor look like an uncaring person however.

[JoeC1947]

Originally Posted by Patty55

Y'know, I've seen a fly in the Publix bakery case.

OMG! Which Publix's?

[gocubsgo]

The open baked goods isn't any different than Panera, which has all their baked goods sitting on a display with no covers on any of them. I always wondered how they could get away with doing that.