I took a little green walk down memory lane in Corrales, NM, the other day.

As a kid, one of my favorite regular outings was a trip to the wonderful Wagners' Farm in Corrales, where we youngsters could wander through the farm market absorbing the amazing aromas of dozens of varieties of fresh-off-the-tree apples, choose the absolutely perfect pumpkins for pies and jack-o-lanterns, and enjoy a cup of just-pressed cider while waiting for our parents to  load up on all sorts of other produce.

Living in Albuquerque, heading down to Corrales was literally a trip to the "green side" of town, and I just loved that lush, river-bosque atmosphere of huge cottonwoods providing tree-lined lanes through the quaint Corrales village. And our time at Wagners would be demeaned by calling it "shopping." The difference between the Wagners' experience and pedestrian grocery shooping was astronomical. It didn't seem like our farm market acquisitions bore any resemblance to the stuff that came from Safeway or Piggly-Wiggly!

For one thing, the olfactory experience was entirely different. Supermarket produce sections made my mouth water about as much as a meander through a hospital corridor--- they were always looked and smelled clean and antiseptic, but that's about it. Wagners' is where I first discovered that part of the joy of good produce is really experienced long befor eating it, as one enjoys the amazing scent of really ripe fruit fresh off the trees and vines.

That's where I discovered that corn-on-the-cob is really supposed to be sweet corn---juicy, dripping and absolutely mouth-watering. (If you've only ever had typical supermarket corn, starchy and sticking to your teeth, you don't know corn! When those poor little ears have to sit around trucks and stores for days or week, all their sugar turns to starch. Corn should be eaten the same day it's picked--- that lets you know why "corn syrup" is sweet, and it's so tender that Grandma's dentures aren't even challenged!)

I hadn't been to Wagners' in years. Not because I'd given up on the "fresh, local produce" kick, but because my husband and I spent our child-rearing years growing our own huge organic gardens and orchards, and raising our own beef and lamb, so that our kids could eat really local food! But over the past few years, now that we're empty nesters, it just hasn't seemed worth all the effort for just the two of us; besides, it takes forever for just two people to eat that whole heifer in the freezer! So we've drifted into buying our food, albeit mostly at Kellers, Wild Oats, and Whole Foods, to try to stick with the healthy stuff and support all-natural and organic businesses.

But you know what? Organic or not, the produce at those places still tastes largely like cardboard, because it's still supermarket produce. It's still picked hard and firm so that it can be shipped several thousand miles and still arrive looking good. And it still takes weeks or longer to get it from the trees and vines to your home and dinner table!  

So I thought about those childhood experiences at Wagners, and returned to that particular scene of my youth. OK, August is too early for the pumpkins and apples. I'll make another trip in a few weeks for that. But I found lots of other great things for my table:

1. I brought home some fabulous cantaloupe. By the way, did you learn that the way to test melons was to thump them? Or shake them? Wrong--- if a melon is picked fresh and really ripe, you can tell by smelling the end, where it was detached from the vine. No "melon" aroma, you've got a melon that was picked unripe and has been hanging around!
2. The sweet corn was terrific-- young, tender, juicy, and oh, so sweet!
3. Fresh snap beans. And yes, they "snapped" rather than bending (just as they're supposed to, and hence the name!)
4. Loads of fresh green chilis, all ready for roasting. Alas, they didn't have the chili roasters going that day, so I must that other favorite New Mexico smell of roasting Hatch green chilis! But one could always take them home and do the roasting there!

Wagner's Farm is such a great source for really fresh, really local produce, and it's been operated by the same local family for four generations! As the sign says, "grown in Corrales." You Corrales residents can't get much more local than that! Even if you live in Rio Rancho or on the West Side, that's about as local as you're going to get for green, growing things, isn't it? And did I mention that the prices were great? I spent about 1/3 what the same produce would have cost me at Whole Foods--- of course, that put me to the chore of toting home a much heavier wallet than I otherwise would have needed to, but I think I can bear it! So if you're not already a Wagner Farms aficionado, go check it out.

Your taste buds and budget will both thank you! And you'll be doing your little eco-friendly bit by shopping locally, too!