Brief: Farmers market at Queens Botanical Garden

Facts:
Fridays, 9-4 ish
located outside the Botanical Garden in Flushing Meadows
10 minute walk from 7 train, 20 minute walk from my place
4 produce venders, 1 seller of different nuts
http://www.communitymarkets.biz/market.php?market=17
Venders sell roughly the same fruits and vegetables, including peaches, apples, plums, eggplant, squash, tomatoes, beans, onions, garlic, beets, carrots, mustard greens, basil, corn. Price and quality vary widely from one stand to another.

Issue:
Will this market regularly provide a reasonable person (me) with delicious fruits and vegetables for the week, along with a sense of community and a small amount of joy?

Rule:
A market must have delicious produce, a community setting and provide some joy in order to become the stomping grounds of a reasonable and happy individual. (I) To be delicious, the vegetables must be fresh, local and ripe. In the absence of these elements, they may also be cheap. (II) A sense of community depends on the development of relationships between venders and customers, as well as other community stakeholders. (III) The requirement for small amount of joy is satisfied when a reasonable person feels a little tug of happiness at arriving at a market that is bustling, connecting with other people, or tasting something delicious.

Holding:
The markets at the Botanical Gardens satisfy the requirements of delicious fruit and vegetables (or at least cheap ones) but lack community and provide only the most limited joy. A reasonable person will have to try the Hall of Science Market next Sunday.

Reasoning:
I) Deliciousness of produce- the peaches weren't sweet but it's probably late in the season and recent weather can be blamed. The mustard greens were tasty. Corn was excellent and cheap. Same for tomatoes. Based on price and quality, the produce at this market satisfies the first element.

II) Community- Hmm. The market was small and the venders friendly. There was a staffed information booth and the nut guy seemed particularly relaxed, though perhaps because of this I didn't feel like trying his nuts. The standard for community might be defined by whether the conditions of purchase at the market are qualitatively different than buying imported produce in the neighborhood's Asian groceries. In this case I would say that the standard is not met- the produce may be local but the experience of the market more like four Asian groceries clumped together.

III) Joy- This is the hardest element to define but probably the most important feature of a farmers' market. A good market is a place that you look forward to visiting for reasons beyond the purchase of produce. These reasons include seeing familiar faces, eating delicious things at the market, or, in a broader sense, feeling like part of what is happening in your neighborhood. The Botanical Gardens market is not one that you'd choose for an experience, or for some perverse foodie fantasy- there are no coffee stands or hot foods, cheeses or meats, etc. Just plain Upstate produce. While it's still possible that this unromantic market could have some pragmatic charm, there's no argument that any standard for joy has been met.

Conclusion:
Yeah, sure. Hall of Science market next week.