LOS ANGELES, CA - DIRECT FROM FARM TO TABLE

It's the trend worldwide, even though it's technically how food worked for all but the most recent of memories. Farm to table. My own experience growing fruit and veggies in the back yard demonstrates readily how different fresh tastes.

We grow avocados, limes, several types of tomatoes. Onions, cilantro. 

Essentially guacamole.

Heck, if we could figure out how to grow corn and make corn chips we'd have paradise.

But I digress...

I love a great farmer's market. Even better, I love cooking and eating the ingredients much more than prefab food or vegetables that taste like juice-filled cardboard.

THE Farmers Market, as far as Angelenos are concerned, is at the corner of 3rd and Beverly. Founded in the early thirties, it's now a huge tourism site, as well as a weekly custom for thousands of families through the L.A. region.

Part tourist attraction and part foodie haven.

The Los Angeles Farmers Market. Worth a trip. And if you can't get there, check out your local version.

After all, local is the idea...

OSTEND, WAIHEKE ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND - OSTEND MARKETPLACE

One of my favorite things to do while traveling is finding farmer's markets, flea markets, art shows and other street fair activities. It's a fun way to learn about the local culture, interact with people and generally have a good time people watching.

This is Waiheke Island, which sits twenty or so kilometers miles away from Auckland. The ferries from the main island will often teem with daytrippers getting away from the city life, and enjoying things like Waiheke's shopping, beaches and the very popular Ostend Market, where they say you can find "everything under the sun" -- kind of a fun pun considering a good portion of the show is outdoors.

Which reminds me it's Thursday, which means our OWN local farmer's market runs this evening. 

It's what's for dinner....