Despite living in Torrance, California my entire life, I only just visited the Torrance Certified Farmers Market for the first time this summer. This market, located in Wilson Park, has a variety of farm-grown fruits and vegetables, flowers, and street food, and is open every Tuesday and Saturday, from 8 am to 1 pm. I experienced the market on both days and concluded that going on Tuesday is preferred because there were less people and more parking spaces.
I learned that the flowers from 805 Lilies, a flower shop in the market, come all the way from Santa Barbara. I also discovered that multiple vendors who were selling fruits and vegetables have farms based in Osuri, California. Most of the sellers who sell their own farm-grown products also send them to grocery stores in California. The workers that came miles away from Torrance have to start their day much earlier than usual because they have to load their products onto their trucks, come down to Torrance, and prepare their booths before the market opens.
When I was younger, I always wondered why there were so many people lining up to get inside the Torrance Certified Farmers Market. Every time I passed Wilson Park, there were constantly buyers with their arms full of products, some who even brought their own carts. When I finally went to the market last week, I instantly discovered its charm: the smell of popcorn that was made right on the spot, ripe strawberries, and hand picked flowers. I got some tacos from a vendor and was able to enjoy them at the lunch tables provided for buyers in Wilson Park. There were so many booths I wanted to visit that it was difficult to decide where to start. What I liked about the market was that if I did not know about a product, both the customers and owners at the booth were kind enough to explain to me. When I asked one buyer why they shop from the farmers market instead of a grocery store, they replied that by buying from the farmers market they are supporting local workers and local farms, the products are fresher than the products at a grocery store, and the workers have more knowledge about what they are selling. If they buy their food from grocery stores, on the other hand, they are only supporting the store and not the local farms that send their products to the big corporations.
I strongly recommend to readers to visit the Torrance Certified Farmers Market in order to enjoy the pleasing atmosphere, fresh fruits and vegetables, and delectable street food with friends and family.
Rubie Choi, Grade 10
Torrance High School
