Buying our food at farmers markets began when we lived in Canada but increased after moving to Germany. We go at least once a week, sometimes twice, and don’t view it as a chore but rather as a culinary event with delectable displays of fresh meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, cheese, bread, and eggs, in addition to other specialties such as fresh roasted coffee beans, tea, spices, honey, cakes, and more.

The farmers market here plays a strong role in culture and attracts people of all ages—even tiny villages set up stands once a week. It’s encouraging to see the convenience of grocery store shopping (and now online ordering and delivery) hasn’t replaced this tradition of buying delicious wares direct from farmers.

In Hamburg, there’s a farmers market every day of the week and even a night market on Wednesdays in St. Pauli with food trucks and live music. Hamburg is also known for its Sunday morning fish market along the harbor from 7:00 – 9:30. I’m embarrassed to admit we’ve never experienced it yet. It’s popular for late party animals or early risers, which is neither of us.

When we lived in Aachen, we were regulars at a few local markets and would drive to farmers markets in the Netherlands for fresh fish and to picturesque Aubel, Belgium for their Sunday farmers’ market. A highlight of the Aubel market was this French woman who sold her freshly baked quiches. We also had a local butcher who made his own Aufschnitt (cold cuts) and loved buying his beautifully marbled cuts of Entrecôte that many Germans won’t touch claiming they’re too fatty.

After moving to northern Germany, our first mission was to find the farmers markets. We quickly found two Wednesday and Saturday markets in nearby towns of Ahrensburg and Volksdorf, and discovered with delight our own town had a Friday afternoon farmers market. Ralph began frequenting a trailer with a butcher who sold fresh cut meats including his own lamb, so Ralph named him our ‘Lamb Guy’. When Tuscan was younger, the three of us would go to the Friday market with a stop at the local library.

On Friday afternoons after work Ralph heads to the market to buy steak from our Lamb Guy, and often buys duck breasts or a whole chicken for another weekend meal. We also buy organic eggs, chicken thighs, and homemade meals he has prepared such as Goulash, chicken fricassee, and chili con carne which are great to have in the freezer for a starving teenager or weeknight meals. In late summer, we also buy fresh corn on the cob and sunflowers grown on his farm.

The Lamb Guy’s daughter is also there every Friday (even though she has a full-time job), greeting everyone with a smile. Another older gentleman is also a regular taking care of the egg sales. Seeing these three each week is like meeting up with old friends.

A few weeks ago, Ralph ordered a duck from the Lamb Guy for our traditional Christmas dinner of Duck Two Ways (Confit and Breasts). As roast duck is a popular Christmas meal, Lamb Guy asked if we could pick it up at his farm on Christmas Eve morning to minimize pickups from his Friday and Saturday market days.

I decided to tag along, curious to see where Lamb Guy lived. I first spotted two adorable goats perched at the side of his driveway, and as we turned the corner there was Lamb Guy’s trailer all set up as if it were market day, with people crowded around smiling and sipping complimentary Glühwein. It was difficult to just pick up our duck with so many other fresh cut meats on display luring us in.

Lamb Guy was in front of his trailer chatting with customers, but after spotting us quickly came over and greeted us with a big hug and presented me with a bunch of fresh Mistletoe. It was such an amazing face-to-face encounter as normally he’s behind the trailer counter serving customers.

As we stood later and sipped Glühwein, I thought about how fortunate we are to have farmers who work tirelessly to nourish us and our families. My heart filled with gratitude, thinking about how we can buy raw milk and eggs direct from farms, and all the farmers markets we’ve been to over the years and the relationships we’ve made with farmers (mainly thanks to Ralph). In fact, Ralph developed a great relationship with another farmer at our Saturday market where he is often greeted by “I have something just for you.” I doubt this type of exchange happens at the grocery store.

Buying food direct from a farmer is an incredibly great feeling and a mutually beneficial exchange of support. They help keep us healthy and inspire the meals we enjoy and share with family and friends.

And there’s nothing better than a hug from a Lamb Guy.