Written by Jenifer Chrisman on July 30, 2015.
"What makes the farmers market such a special place is that you’re
actually creating community around food.”
– Bryant Terry
There is nothing quite like the taste of produce, freshly picked at the peak of ripeness, except (maybe) for locally raised meat or freshly caught fish. As there is no denying a meal made from such quality ingredients have a substantial and definable difference in flavor, why deny yourself the opportunity to enjoy them.
Local Farmers Markets, depending on location and size, not only offer ripe, delicious produce and fruit, but many other items as well, including: poultry, lamb, beef, pork, goat, eggs, milk, cream, ice cream, butter, cheese, honey, jams and jellies, sauces, mushrooms, flowers, wool, wine, beer, breads and pastries, along with ready to eat foods and drinks, to name just a few. As they become more and more common nationwide, they can be found in their nearby cities, as well as their own local areas.
And it’s not just individuals and families utilizing these markets. Many local restaurants, rather than shopping commercially, are now offering daily, weekly, monthly and seasonally diverse menus based on what’s available within the local area.
In honor of these delicious and nutritious markets and their offerings, the first full week of August is National Farmers Market Week. But celebrating and visiting the Farmers Market shouldn’t just be a once a year thing. There are so many great reasons to support your local Farmers Market, and Cuesa.org offers 10 exceptionally good ones:
Taste Real Flavors: Fruits and vegetables are allowed to ripen fully and are brought directly to you – no long-distance shipping, no gassing to simulate the ripening process, no sitting for weeks in storage.
Enjoy the Season: Farmers market is fresh, delicious and reflects the truest flavors, reconnecting you with the cycles of nature in your region.
Support Family Farmers: Buying directly from farmers gives them a better return for their produce and gives them a fighting chance in today’s globalized economy.
Protect The Environment: Food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,500 miles to get to your plate, using large amounts of natural resources, contributing to pollution, creating trash with extra packaging and polluting water, land and air with toxic agricultural by-products. Farmers market food is transported shorter distances and is generally grown using methods that minimize the impact on the earth.
Nourish Yourself: Much of the food found in grocery stores is highly processed and grown using pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and genetic modification. Some has been irradiated, waxed or gassed. Most food found at the farmers market is minimally processed, and many of the farmers use sustainable techniques, picking produce right before market and growing heirloom varieties.
Discover The Spice Of Life – Variety: At the farmers market you find an amazing array of produce you don’t see in your average supermarket.
Promote Humane Treatment Of Animals: At the farmers market you can find meats, cheeses and eggs from animals that have been raised without hormones or antibiotics, who have grazed on green grass and eaten natural diets and who have been spared cramped and unnatural living conditions.
Know Where Your Food Comes From: A regular trip to a farmers market is one of the best ways to connect with where your food comes from and to learn more about how and where food is produced.
Learn Cooking Tips, Recipes and Meal Ideas: Farmers, ranchers and artisans at a farmers market are often passionate cooks with plenty of free advice about how to cook the foods they are selling.
Connect With Your Community: The farmers market is a community hub – a place to meet up with, or make new, friends, or just enjoy a little time outdoors.
If you are looking for a Farmers Market in your area, there is a free, online directory, USDA Farmers Market Directory, available at search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/. There are over 8,000 Farmers Markets listed, with more being added yearly, and the search radius spans up to 200 miles from a given zip code. So this August, or any time you are looking for something fresh to serve for dinner, take a stroll through your local Farmers Market and see what tempts your taste buds.
Sources:
cuesa.org/learn/10-reasons-support-farmers-markets
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmers%27_market
blogs.usda.gov/2014/08/04/thousands-of-reasons-to-celebrate-national-farmers-market-week/
