Blue Hill Farmers Market

I visited the Blue Hill Farmers Market this weekend, an obligatory stop on my tour of local food in Maine. It is held Saturdays at the fairgrounds and, like many farmers markets, is about 35% produce and 65% local craft and creation. The produce was beautiful and fresh, but what made this market unique was a weekly evolving food play that is put on by Small Change Theater called Food Rules.

Food Rules begins with a band of singing farmers in straw hats, aprons and rubber boots weaving their way through the market singing their theme song “Food Revolution”. The performance takes place in a field adjacent to the market with wooden crates and a small stage as the only props. It is an ensemble presentation and a mix of food story testimonials, contra dance, and current food issue topics. The theme of the play is the importance of food culture, the uniqueness of our own food stories, and the power that we have as individuals to stand up for our food rights. As an evolving and topical call to action, Food Rules was effective at sparking the interest of children and adults alike and focusing their attention for a brief moment on a critical and dynamic issue what we often take for granted: food.

What did I end up with in my market bag? In working to eat some of the abundant food that we’ve been cooking at my Mom’s house, I tried to keep my purchases to a minimum: golden beets to be boiled and sliced for salad, Easter egg radishes, local beefsteak tomatoes, fresh young broccoli, and a gorgeous purple cabbage. It always makes me proud to support the people who work so hard to grow our food for us.