I once asked a farmer why so many market vendors sell carrots with their tops still attached, when almost nobody eats the tops and, besides, you're supposed to remove them after you buy the carrots because they suck the moisture out of the tasty roots.
She answered that farmers can charge more for carrots with their tops attached, because customers are willing to pay more for them. (And some people feed the tops to their rabbits.)
I got to thinking about a discussion I was having last summer with some farmers and customers about whether it's wrong for farmers to charge more for their produce in neighborhoods where they think people can afford to it. The carrots question made me wonder: is it wrong for farmers to charge more for produce that really doesn't have any additional value simply because folks care so much about appearances? I think not.
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