Why Shop the Farmer's Market?
Thank you to Michelle of Everything's Abuzz for this guest post!
Spring has sprung and for many towns near us this means the arrival of a Farmer's Market is just around the corner! Although we grow many of our own vegetables right in our own backyard, we still rely heavily on the farmer's market for fruits, honey, organic breads and a host of veggies that we don't grow ourselves (not yet anyway!) Below I share some of the main reasons why we shop at Farmers' Markets.
Reasons Why You Should Shop Your Farmer's Market
- Speak directly to the folks growing your food-got questions? They've got answers. Not only have I asked about growing practices, but I have gotten a ton of tips to use in our own garden
- Buy Local- Your Farmers' Market is most likely selling goods that are grown close by, thus cutting down on transportation impact of shipping/carting food from all around the globe to your shopping mart (check with the market though as I once attended a "local" market only to find that they were shipping peaches up from Georgia to this NY market, not so local after all)
- Support Local Merchants-By shopping at a local market, you know exactly who you're supporting. Not only are you supporting your local businesses but your community, which in turn impacts everything from property value to taxes
- Buy Seasonal- Since they are selling locally produced food, you know it's also seasonal food for your area, this is said to help with food allergies as well as lessen the environmental impact of growing food that isn't native to the land during a particular season
- Fresh-Since your market is selling local food, you know it has to be picked fresh and not being picked, sprayed, carted, sprayed again and then shelved for you
- Cost, Waste- Many times we find our organic veggies/fruits for less than we would pay at the grocery store, plus there's less packaging (we are encouraged to bring our own), less waste as you are buying what you need as opposed to a pre packaged box/bag, and you can hand select the food you'll be eating
- Aesthetics- There's nothing like buying fresh food, out in the open air, with the smell of fresh, handmade or newly picked goodies all around you
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Michelle is a former elementary school teacher, turn SAHM and self-described “green” fashionista. She is a NYC woman, turned burbs mama, raising her 2 B’s in an eco conscious manner. She blogs about natural parenting and green living at www.everythingsabuzz.com. She is not only a contributing writer for Momtrends, but there you'll also find her own column, Syncing Your Style. Find her on twitter @queentob or facebook.
