對於常常不開伙、總是吃外食的單身狗而言，應該壓根不會想到農民市集逛逛，因為單身狗不需要煩惱食材的問題，不過，對於家中會開伙的朋友而言，到農民市集採買，可以買到新鮮、安全、可追溯的在地食材，對於在地農民而言，可提高收益、減少中間商剝削，並直接了解市場需求，此外，在這幾年來，人們對於食品安全意識的增強，讓農民市集越來越多了。
每次我到花博的農民市集都是路過，順便逛逛市集，其實，我本來是來逛花博內的展覽活動，不過，我發現特地到農民市集的市民們也不少，一踏進市集，叫賣聲此起彼落，如同市集專屬的交響樂，有人爽朗高喊：「今天的青菜最新鮮！」有人笑著推銷自家果醬：「天然的很甜又健康！」，攤位上的小農產品更讓人目不暇給，時時都有新發現。
農夫們假如還是使用傳統的方法賣產品的話，那就是過著餓不死但也吃不飽的生活，所以，現代農夫們不再只賣農產品，還開發農產品，他們更懂得經營社群、拍影片、寫文章，讓消費者看到蔬果背後的故事，像是賣甘蔗汁的攤位，就有賣甘蔗檸檬、甘蔗鮮奶、甘蔗薑汁等多種新口味，在冷冷的冬日，我就特別想喝一口甘蔗薑汁，暖暖身子、去去寒氣。
走在這樣的市集中，視線在跳舞，味蕾在期待，而心情，則在不知不覺中變得輕盈起來，原本不想吃東西的我，也被處處飄來的食物香味，引誘著想吃些東西，想買些小農產品。
For people who rarely cook and always rely on takeout — basically single folks living on their own — visiting a farmers’ market probably never crosses their mind. After all, if you’re not cooking, you don’t need to worry about buying ingredients. But for friends who do cook at home, shopping at a farmers’ market means getting fresh, safe, and traceable local produce. For local farmers, it helps increase their income, reduces the cut taken by middlemen, and lets them understand what the market actually wants. Plus, in recent years, as people have become more aware of food safety, farmers’ markets have been popping up everywhere.
Whenever I pass by the farmers’ market at the Flora Expo, I usually stop for a casual stroll. I’m normally there for an exhibition inside the park, but I’ve noticed that plenty of people come specifically for the market. The moment you step in, the lively shouting of vendors fills the air like the market’s own soundtrack. Someone might be enthusiastically calling out, “Today’s vegetables are super fresh!” while another vendor cheerfully promotes their homemade jam: “Naturally sweet and healthy!” And the variety of small-scale farm products is so huge that there’s always something new to discover.
If farmers still sold their products the traditional way, they’d basically be stuck in a cycle of “not starving, but never really full either.” That’s why modern farmers don’t just sell produce. They develop new products. They run social media pages, film videos, and write posts to show the stories behind what they grow. Take the sugarcane juice stand, for example. They don’t just sell plain sugarcane juice; they offer sugarcane with lemon, sugarcane milk, sugarcane ginger juice, and other creative flavors. And on a chilly winter day, I can never resist a warm cup of sugarcane ginger juice to heat up my body and chase away the cold.
Walking through the market, my eyes keep dancing from one stall to the next, my taste buds start to wake up, and even my mood becomes lighter without me noticing. Even when I wasn’t planning to eat anything, the delicious smells drifting from every corner tempt me to grab a bite and maybe bring home some local goodies.
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