Serving "fresh" vegetables and fruits has become a mantra for chefs and city folk in the past five years, and farmers markets have sprung up all over the Pittsburgh area to satisfy that desire.

WQED's Rick Sebak's new PBS special, "To Market To Market To Buy a Fat Pig," airing Wednesday at 8 p.m., takes a down-home look at big, established farmers markets around the country, the farmers who fill them and the dedicated shoppers who buy their wares.

He explores markets in Santa Fe; Lancaster (oldest in the country); Baltimore; Asheville, N.C.; Santa Monica; Decatur, Ga.; Cleveland; and Hilo, Hawaii. Each has something unique to offer.

Both farmers and city folks enjoy the interaction, saying things such as: "They start out being a customer and end up being a friend" ... "Different personalities keeps things interesting" ... "People know you by name" ... "It's a day out with your family."

Ready for a road trip to seafood heaven? Baltimore's Lexington Market has lots of oysters, blue crabs cooked live and fresh fish from the bay.

Mr. Sebak's other shows include "Things That Aren't There Anymore," "Kennywood Memories" and "Things We've Made."

Take a farm tour

Speaking of farms and markets, you can get up close and personal with five local farms at the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture's Summer Farm Tour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

It's a casual, relaxed, rain-or-shine event. Locate the farms you want to visit on the map (see the link below), pay $10 per car at the first farm and get a free pass for the others. No pets allowed.

Farms are: Blackberry Meadows, Natrona Heights; Dillner's, West Deer; Garden Dreams, Wilkinsburg; Soergel Orchards, Franklin Park; and Triple B, Monongahela.

PASA recommends bringing a cooler for eggs, meats, cheeses, milk and other purchases.

Download the map here.

If you don't have a computer, call 412-697-0411 today for a copy of the map.

Carpatho-Rusyn Event

The 10th annual Carpatho-Rusyn Event, celebrating the life of Andy Warhol, one of the East Slavic group's most noted descendents, will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at -- where else -- the Andy Warhol Museum, North Side.

The fest will feature traditional Rusyn foods, such as pierogies, haluski, kielbasa and desserts, along with music by Vox Ethnika, talks about Warhol, sing-a-longs and hands-on art activities.

How to cook tofu

Want to know more about tofu? McGinnis Sisters, Monroeville will show you how at its "Joy of Soy, Tofu Cooking" class, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow.

Cost is $15. Eggless salad on grain bread, mixed greens with tofu croutons and dressing and chocolate tofu cream pie are on the menu. Reservations: 412-858-7000, Ext. 7.

Wild Nantucket striped sea bass is available for a limited time at McGinnis Sisters stores in Monroeville and Brentwood. This Cape Cod specialty has moist meat with a white flaky texture and a sweet flavor due to the shrimp, lobster, crabs and mussels it consumes.

Strictly regulated by the government, fish must be 34 inches or longer to be harvested and are caught for a limited time.

The last word

"Rather one bite of peach than a basketful of apricots." Chinese proverb.