Tuesday, September 16, 2014

What's the Next Best Thing to an Auctioneer Checkout Clerk?

I love clever commercial, like this one.

Can you imagine an auctioneer as a checkout clerk?

Neither can I, but a large farm stand in Bainbridge, New York, has the next best thing.  And I so wish I had a video of him in action.

Frog Pond Farms, I'll be the first to admit, is a mixed bag.  Not all the produce it sells is locally produced.  Not all of it is high quality, either., I'm sorry to say.  You have to be careful.  But, especially if you buy in bulk, the savings can be amazing.
And people come from miles around to buy there.  We've been there three times this year.  They do label the produce as local if it is local.  If it isn't marked, it isn't local.  You can buy local, or not, as you choose.

Despite its shortcomings, I still like the place.  Even on a Saturday, when it is so crowded you can barely move, I like it.  There is a corn pit where children can play.  There are pigs for the children to watch.  There are local cheeses, and fresh eggs for sale.  There is a donut stand.  I'm not a fan of donuts (a holdover from a long ago job in a donut store) but donuts are perfect for this type of store.

Frog Pond lets you sample the produce if you want, as long as you eat it on premises.

The best attraction of all, I think, is the man who works there at the checkout, weighing, calling out the prices in a stylized sing song like an auctioneer, and adding them all in his head. He does the weighing, too.  He's been there for years and I wish I knew his name.  In fact, I wonder if he is the owner. Not too many people do mental math in public anymore. I wonder if he has children, and if he's taught them that skill.


I wanted to bring you some of the magic of Frog Pond, as we transition from summer to fall.  I don't make that transition without a lot of kicking and screaming.  These pictures, in fact, were taken the last week of August, but you can see the transition in these pictures.
We aren't that far from frost now.
If you went there today, you would find grapes, winter squash, pumpkins, and mums, and lots and lots of apples.

And a man who, perhaps, should be in the next Geico commercial.

Do you have a favorite farm stand?  Or a favorite checkout person where you shop?

9 comments:

  1. Great post! I love the pictures. I am only drooling a little bit. ;) We live in Phoenix, and unfortunately there are no farmer's markets close to us. There are some great ones, just not close. Plus, there are not many in the summer. I am looking forward to Saturday farmer's markets this fall and winter as it cools off. The quality is so much better. In Nebraska, we lived one block from a farmer's market. . . Just earlier today I was eating a tomato and thinking about how bad it was. It really made me miss the ripe, sweet ones from our garden and the farmer's market.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Alana

    hahahaha - auctioneers would make FUN checkout clerks ;) In all seriousness, Indian local markets are famous for such lively sellers who do the math in their heads - seriously, this is a skill that is lost in the sparkly facade of gadgets and gizmos! :-(

    Aaah...just looking at those pictures makes me wanna sample them NOW! Man, you live in a FUN place - close to nature, close to color and close to life! #HUGS

    ALWAYS love your ramblin'

    Kitto

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh! I knew exactly where you were talking about when I read your title! I've been there. In fact, the house in which I grew up is less than a mile from that stand. It wasn't there when I still lived there, though. In spite of its shortcomings, as you mentioned, it is an awesome place, and I know people do come from miles around for the experience. My best friend lives in Oneonta and she goes there to buy her annuals and some perennials every spring. I'm glad you enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is awesome. The pictures are so tantalising. Some of the fruits don't seem to be available in India.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love these pictures... I wish I could touch and buy some of these

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautifully done, Alana. The photos are so inviting! Even the donuts! One of my dreams is to be able to regularly shop at a Farmer's Market. It's not just the produce is so much better, it's the whole atmosphere. For now, I have to settle for our local supermarket ... THANK YOU! HUGS <3

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love your word pictures, as well as the physical ones. A good character adds so much to the whole experience! Isn't it wonderful to see more places like this to buy fresh veggies?!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, this is my type of place! Yum! I love all the pictures and would just love to shop there!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Your comments mean a lot to me, and I appreciate each one. These comments are moderated, so they may not post for several hours. If you are spam, you will find your comments in my compost heap, where they will finally serve a good purpose.