On Farmers Markets and the Transport of Goods Without a Car

3 July 2006 at 11:59 am · Filed under Food and Drink

I admit to being slightly obsessed with farmers markets. In Berkeley the farmers market runs throughout the year on Tuesdays (North Berkeley), Thursdays (South Berkeley), and Saturdays (downtown). I visit one or two of the markets each week, depending on my schedule, and often I will plan a walk in one of the neighborhoods surrounding the markets. Although people come from all over town (and from out of town) to the markets, all of them have the distinct feel of the neighborhoods where they are held.

I also admit to having spent a fair amount of time researching all sort of devices to transport items without a car. Never mind that I usually do not have large items to carry, I still enjoy imagining how I would carry a kayak (if I had one) out to the water on a bicycle or looking at photos all of the large packages others have carried around. Carrying bulky and heavy items is relatively easy on a bicycle. On foot, it is a different story. There are few alternatives to the poorly designed, flimsy “granny carts” for walking with large loads. They are difficult to manuever on many public transportation systems, and — outside of New York City — many people under 60 wouldn’t be caught dead rolling one of those carts around. Recently I was actually able to locate a reasonably priced, fold-up roller bag from a company that obviously markets to a young, hip audience, so perhaps there is hope after all for more options in the walking cargo transportation market. On Saturday I spotted the first of the season’s watermelons at the farmers market, so I will be keeping an eye out for others who have found innovative ways to carry melons, winter squash, and other heavy fruits and vegetables.

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