Earning Carrot Dollars Couldn't Be Easier

Sometimes people just get stuff right.

I was delighted when Karen, my back up if something went wrong at my San Jose sit, swung in to take me to the San Jose Downtown Farmers’ Market in San Pedro Square the first week I arrived. People you meet while sitting can be so very kind and I was most grateful for this introduction to a local ritual.

The market was lovely and I decided to take myself off there on my own steam the following week. That included walking and the bus. I was very excited because I had read on the Farmers Market website that you get "carrot dollars" if you take public transport, if you walk or bike in. Well I had two ticks to my name.

But to be honest getting buses does my head in and I was so busy trying to explain where I needed to get off and discern if I was actually on the right bus to do that, I completely forgot to ask for a receipt. On the San Jose buses you generally just throw our money in the slot, keep your head down and keep walking.

Despite proof of purchase, I decided to have a chat to the lady at the "carrot money" stand anyway and I let her know I'd bused in but didn't have any proof. She heard my accent and instantly believed me and handed over my well earned "carrot money".

I love when people don't nit pick and make it hard for you to get the advertised rewards. This is an amazing initiative to get people out of their cars and coming to the market using less carbon emissions. To know they are so generous in their thinking really does make a big difference to why I would want to keep returning.

I went in the morning because the market is slap in the middle of the San Jose CBD so I guessed it would get quite busy as the office workers come out at lunchtime to gather their weekend food supplies.

But before noon, the market is laid back and has a really great vibe, along with a really good busker and a mixed variety of stalls.

I had no trouble spending my "carrot dollars" on homemade hommus.

Image that, you don't even have to buy carrots! I reckon I may have tried just about all the 22 flavours of hommus on sale, settling on the hot chilli version. Hot was the operative word, but it made the tub last longer!

There is also an excellent Sunday farmers market at Japantown and although it doesn't carry the vibrant vibe of the Friday market, the smallholders are authentic and the food is fresh and yummy ..... No carrot dollars on Sunday either :-(

I really loved the cities attitude to fresh organic food. I could easily live in a place that cared as much.