Shopping with a clear conscience
Molly Shore
The Burbank Farmers’ Market is a virtual horn of plenty these days.
With the fall harvest season in full swing, the outdoor market is
offering an abundance of produce, as well as other food items. And
just in time.
As the grocery strike heads into its first full week, many
shoppers sympathetic to the striking workers’ cause are expected
today at the market, Manager Carolyn Hill said.
“We’re providing something that people who don’t want to cross the
picket line can get -- fresh fruits and vegetables, bread and
pastries, honey, nuts, dried fruit, olive oil, Middle Eastern hummus,
tamales and fresh fish,” Hill said. “Then, of course, we have fresh
flowers and bedding plants.”
Hill said she does not anticipate any shortages of food items.
“This time of year we have a lot of stuff in,” she said. “A lot of
plums and late peaches. The farmers will bring in their regular
load.”
However, she added, the rule of thumb for the Farmers’ Market is
to get there early.
Peggy Pulver, a Burbank resident since 1948, has been shopping at
the market since it started 21 years ago.
“I get all my vegetables and fruits and eggs there,” Pulver said.
“A lady brings them in fresh from the hens.”
Although she said she hasn’t needed anything from the supermarket,
Pulver said she will do her shopping at Trader Joe’s, if what she
needs is not available at Farmers’ Market.
The market’s hours are from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays in the
parking lot at 3rd Street and Orange Grove Avenue.
Proceeds from the market go into a special fund managed by the
Providence St. Joseph Foundation.
The fund serves two purposes, said Randy Mueller, the foundation’s
director of development.
“It provides medical assistance to people who are uninsured or
poorly insured, and it offers lifeline support service for 10 seniors
who might need immediate help if they are taken ill,” Mueller said.