Why You Should Shop At Your Local Farmers Market
Let us count the ways! I love getting up Saturday mornings because that is the one day a week I can go to the farmer’s markets in town! I get to mingle with other like minded folks, while enjoying healthy and fresh fruits and veg and other homemade items.
Not only can you take the whole family but you can meet some of the local artisans and farmers in your area and get a first hand look at where your food is coming from.
Great Tasting Produce
Not only is locally grown food close by, cutting down on carbon emissions, it is also picked fresh and not trucked halfway across the planet, giving you a better tasting fruit and veg. Better tasting veg equals better tasting food!
Nutrition
Produced that is shipped from far away is almost always harvested prior to being fully ripe. Research suggests that food picked at peak ripeness is higher in vitamins and other healthy nutrients. Tomatoes will actually be higher in Vitamin C if they are allowed to ripen on the vine. That is why when selecting tomatoes I always pick the ones on the vine, that way the tomatoes are still getting the nutrients they need even tho they have been picked. Local farmers don’t need to pick their produce too far in advance, allowing the plants to fully ripen the way nature intended.
Economy
When you shop at a farmers market you are supporting your local economy. You are putting a child through dance lessons or hockey. You are contributing to the people in your community. When you choose your local community you are voting the best way I know how… with your dollars.
Carbon Emissions
Are you concerned with carbon offsetting? With produce so close to home we are choosing to use less fossil fuels, pesticides and fertilizers that are used at commercial scale farms. So you know you are not contributing to the demise of our mother.
Seasonal Treats
You know you are always getting the freshest most readily available produce for you and your family. When you live in places that get snow for winter you will find veg that is okay with the cold season or veg that cellars well. Veg like spinach, potatoes, carrots and turnips. Sometimes this means that you will be getting some weird stuff you have never heard of before, like celerac or parsnips but there is no time like the present to learn how to make something with these funky foods! Most vendors will have recipes or suggestions of how they might prepare these foods.
Shopping at a farmers market is awesome. You get to meet people that you will get to know and the freshest veg possible! The only thing more awesome than shopping at the farmers market is growing it yourself!