At a Farmer's Market?

I'm a big fan of the Sunnyside Farmer's Market. It's easy to mock because it's all of about a half-dozen stalls along a sidewalk outside one of our beautiful, caged, paved parks.

But I tell you what: the produce is terrific ("These sprouts take like green!"), the fish is fresh ("You caught this yesterday?"), and the offerings are growing ("Long Island has good wines?").

Last year, there was a sometimes meat vendor, who had organic goodness from local animals who were treated nicely until the moment they were slaughtered for the benefit of my belly. When he was there, we'd stock up on the ground beef, and once he had summer sausage, a treat I hadn't had since I was a kid munching on the cheese and sausage gift baskets my dad received from parishioners at Christmas time. (I much preferred those baskets to the hams.) The meat vendor hasn't been in attendance yet this year, and I hope he's not giving the Sunnyside Farmer's Market a miss. That'd really be too bad.

Last week, though, I was pleased to see a dairy vendor - mostly cheeses, cured meats, and some baked goods. The smoked cheddar is delicious. I also sampled and purchased some hot meat sticks (which aren't nearly as dirty as they sound). They're delicious. Think Slim Jim, only better.

When I got home and finally bothered to look at the ingredients as I gnawed away on my hot meat stick, I discovered that it had corn syrup, mono-sodium glutamate (that's MSG, by the way), and a couple of nitrites.

Now, I know there's no law forbidding local farmers (even the ones who participate in farmer's markets) from using crappy ingredients, but it sure does seem to go against the spirit of a farmer's market. Yes, yes, I know that the point is to support local farmers more than it is to eat organically, but still, I'm especially disappointed that the hot meat sticks have corn syrup and MSG. (I hear it's good to avoid nitrites, but hell if I know why.)

Oh, Farmer, you looked so innocent and Amish with your no-mustachioed-bearded face and brimmed hat.

Don't get me wrong: I'll finish the package. They're delicious hot meat sticks, after all. But I won't buy them again. I can get food that kills me at any old market. I think I'll stick to the unprocessed foods at the Farmer's Market from now on.

And I'll stop trusting people who look Amish.