First off, let me say that farmer’s markets are one of my top three favorite things in life. I don’t know if it’s the good food, free samples, or variety of characters at the market, but the sun always seems to shine a little brighter at the farmer’s market, so it was about time that I gave the Newport one a whirl.

And I loved it. It was honestly bigger and better than I expected, with the highlights being: a lady selling grandma-sweaters with patches sewn on of cats, puffins, and the like, loads of sweet Oregon cherries, and a honey-vendor who not only sold honey but also some bomb honey mustard and honey barbeque sauce. He also educated me on something called Royal Jelly. It’s basically a paste made for the Queen Bee that he cited to have great health benefits and swore by it for helping him beat Stage 4 cancer! I love these kinds of interactions at farmer’s markets because you get to learn about and interact with people over your common love for food. Back in Los Angeles, there was a kombucha lady at the Brentwood farmer’s market who I would always look forward to seeing for her cheery attitude and funny stories.

I know farmer’s markets can get a bad reputation for being too expensive or bougie, but I find the value of these interactions and getting my food from local small-scale farms worth the price. Plus, the way I see it I would much rather spend my money on good food than new technological gadgets or the latest fashion trends.