trials, trails, and travails

Mission creek plaque, originally uploaded by zyrcster.

I went down to the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market today, because I wanted to see what was there and fresh. But I also went because I wanted to buy a whole chicken from Prather Ranch, since the chickens are raised the right way there. All the meat there is raised the right way. And if you’ve seen Food Inc., you’ll know what I mean.

I really had my mind set on a whole chicken, so walked up to the counter and just asked for one. Then I saw the cost: $23.

Um.

Wow.

But I went ahead and bought it anyway, because I had it set in my mind that I didn’t want to support the food industry anymore, I wanted my food from the ranch. My dad raised chickens (and pigs, too), so I wanted to get back to that. And support a local rancher. And eat better.

But really, $23 for a fryer did give me pause. I’m pretty sure I could have bought a less expensive free range chicken at Whole Foods. I don’t know; I walked away with my chicken happy that it was raised on a nice 55 acre ranch and ate grubs and non-GMO feed. And I don’t mind supporting local ranchers and growers. Nor do I mind paying what food is actually worth, instead of this subsidized garbage masquerading for food at the local stores.

But it really gave me pause, because I cannot imagine the average family paying that much for a chicken, which means the average family is still going to go buy a Tyson chicken… an unnaturally large thing that vaguely resembled a chicken when it was alive. I also wondered about that free range chicken at the stores… they aren’t $23 each, so what gives?

At any rate, I saw this plaque on the ground about Mission Creek (RIP) at the rail station on the way home. I dunno. I left there with a bunch of good, fresh, veggies, fruit and the chicken. It’s all good.