Dallas Farmers Market

from a letter to the editor, DMNews, 7/5/08:

Dallas Farmers Market: Think Mother Earth, home cooking, goodness — and deceit.

Saturday, we bought blueberries beautifully mounded in a one quart basket. The vendor emptied the basket deep inside a plastic bag, quickly tossed the basket over the counter and off we were. Minutes later I looked inside the bag and saw not so many blueberries.

We stopped and watched another vendor empty a basket each of blueberries and blackberries into sacks, then immediately turn the baskets upside down on the counter. I reached around, righted the baskets and found false bottoms that made the basket only about a half-inch deep.

Is this deception standard practice at the market? They realize they're doing something wrong, or why else hide the baskets?

Back home, my blueberries measured less than two cups. Fortunately, their sweetness countered some of the bitter feeling of getting fleeced.





Bill Stoner, Plano