You have to get there very early if you want to buy eggs from Bill Ryals, which I do. Even though I can buy pastured eggs at Whole Foods now, I like getting them from Bill. He and his daughter are there every Saturday, selling the best, freshest goat cheese imaginable. The eggs are just a sideline. Bill charges $3 a dozen for his eggs, which is a bargain (the pastured eggs at Whole Foods are $6). He is always grateful when I bring my used cartons back to him for reuse. I like our symbiotic relationship. He supplies me with eggs and cheese from animals I know are treated with respect and kindness. My buying his products validates that what he is doing is important, which it is.
There are other vendors that are "musts" for me when I go to the market. Timmy Perilloux from Montz, LA and his amazingly delicious vegetables. Smith Creamery for the freshest dairy products around. Peaches from Durham Produce.
Something wonderful happens when you buy food from people whose faces you can see. You develop a relationship. You feel like you are really in touch with the food and you know that it comes to you with integrity. There's no way to put a price tag on that.
The Ryals Farm: http://www.rockingrboers.com/goat-dairy.html.
Crescent City Farmers Market: http://www.crescentcityfarmersmarket.org/
