Farmers Markets have enjoyed a renaissance from Boston to the Catskills to Marin County. Don't miss out on this chance to taste food as it truly should be: fresh, right from the source.

A tomato from the farm down the street will always be a completely different thing than the one picked unripe and trucked across country. One Mother Jones author Michael Pollan, notes in his thought-provoking piece "No Bar Code, "the typical fruit or vegetable on an American's plate has traveled 1,500 miles to get there, and is frequently better traveled .. than the person eating it."

Give me that fresh-from-the-farm tomato over architectural plating and fussy garnishes any day. No fan of fussy food, my idol Julia Child once said, "It's so beautifully arranged on the plate, you just know someone's fingers have been all over it."