Visualize a typical visit to the traditional supermarket. What do your senses notice? Maybe your eyes pick up on the blaring florescent lights and your ears the muzak quickly flowing in one and out the other. Now visualize entering the shady space of a tailgate market protected from the mid-morning sun. What do your senses notice?

Vegetables, radiant with fresh-picked vitality, are piled high at the tailgate markets this time of year. Bright orange carrots contrast magenta beets and bunches of deep green collards. Delicate oyster mushrooms in soft hues perfectly complement the tender handmade pasta a few stands away. Both children and grownups delight in the many colorful flower bouquets, while a curly-headed child in overalls struggles with her choice of a large bouquet of bright yellow sunflowers.

A burst of spicy basil perfumes the air as a line forms where one of the farmers is roasting red peppers—the sweet, smoky smell is too enticing to resist. There are neat stacks of herbal soaps on display that beckon customers to smell every handcrafted bar to determine which fragrance they want to take home.

Sunday breakfast comes to mind at the sight of free-range eggs, mill-ground grits, sausage and sinfully huge cinnamon sticky buns. Samples of jams, breads and cheeses tempt your taste buds. Sweet corn lovers press around one stand hoping there is still some Silver Queen left for the night’s supper.
“You can learn a lot about cooking just by listening to people talk,” says natural farmer Julie Mansfield. And that auditory exchange is something you’ll find at the tailgate market, where farmers’ bright faces greet you to talk about how everything was raised and tips on how it will best be prepared. All the while, bluegrass music weaves its notes though the people and the wares.

As the day progresses, bags get plumper and baskets overflow with the week’s peak items. The creative gears start turning and the salivary glands kick in imagining upcoming meals. Shoppers might go home to a sandwich of homegrown tomatoes and goat cheese on artisan bread, or possibly a dinner of rosemary grilled chicken, cheesy squash casserole, mashed potatoes and salad. Who knew eating local could be so easy and enticing?

Sensory Checklist

Farmer Galen Corozine calls the tailgate market “a focal point for cultural life.” Attending the market can be a social hour and food-fest rolled into one, with more than ample opportunities to engage with and delight all five senses. So, next time you’re at the tailgate market, think about your shopping list a little differently: Instead of just going down the list and getting what’s needed, view your list as a challenge to check off that you’ve engaged each sense thoroughly during your time there. As you’re looking through produce choices, tune into the farmer’s story for a moment, then back to the color and texture of your choice. Or, even if soap or flowers aren’t on your list, use the time at the market as an opportunity to engage the olfactory sense, smelling on your way from one vendor to the next.

For a listing of local tailgate markets, pick up a free copy of the ASAP Local Food Guide, or visit www.appalachiangrown.org.

Ruth Gonzalez is a former market farmer, backyard gardener, and founding member of the local Tailgate Market Fan Club. Join the club at tailgatemarketfanclub@yahoo.com. She gives special thanks to farmers Vanessa Campbell, Galen Corozine, Anne Gaines, Julie Mansfield, and Frank Teneralli for their input for this article.

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