Springtime means birds singing, sunshine, the beginning of gardening season and my personal favorite, the start of the farmer's market! My local farmer's market opened this past weekend to my extreme delight. Growing up in New England I'm not used to April being a great time for local veggies and fruits but down South the season starts with a bang. In season right now are strawberries, kale, and other green leafy veggies. I picked up some kale, strawberries, a basil plant, eggs, and a rabbit (processed, of course).
Some may ask, "Why pay three dollars for a bunch of kale or a dozen eggs when you can get it cheaper at the grocery store?". I will get right on my soapbox and ask back, "Haven't you watched the NEWS? Because I don't like E. Coli!". All joking aside, I am a huge advocate of eating locally. You can ask the person who grew your food personally about their product. You are supporting your local economy. As a consumer, you vote with each dollar you spend and if you spend your money on local produce and don't accept the mediocre, shipped thousand of miles, pesticide soaked and genetically modified crap at the grocery store you are saying you won't stand for that. I understand with the cost of food rising people are trying to cut wherever they can to get by but I strongly urge to go without in other places (does anyone really NEED soda?) to make sure you feed your family the best produce physically possible.
If you're unaware of a farmer's market in your community try searching online. That's how I found mine! If you really can't any farmer's markets in your area, try looking for local CSAs. Community supported agriculture is great for you and great for farmers. How a CSA works is that a farmer offers "shares" to the public. By purchasing a "share" or membership you then receive a box of seasonal produce (and sometimes other farm products) each week from the farmer. There are other versions of CSAs which you can read about and also search for CSAs in your area on the Local Harvest website as well as the information I've already provided.
I can say how great it is for you and the environment all day long to eat locally but if you've never had a garden fresh tomato and you get one from the farmer's market or a CSA you'll never turn back. I guarantee it. Grocery store tomatoes don't live up to them at all. I hope everyone has found this information helpful and I hope I've convinced you to at least look for a farmer's market in your area!
Until next time,
xoxo Stacie
I need soda! But the expense isn't what keeps us from eating locally. Our farmer's market here is terrible! So small, and almost nothing offered. I miss my farmer's markets from California... hopefully it will be better in DC.
ReplyDeleteI just joined a CSA this year. I'm excited. The way I look at it is that I'll be able experiment some more with our diets. I do use a lot of fresh foods, but our local stores don't carry a lot of organic or local foods. When they do...they don't always seem very fresh...
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I was going through my reader and didn't see any posts from you. After visiting and catching up (I missed several posts) I realized that I had followed you on twitter but not your blog. I just corrected that oversight. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about prioritizing to find room in your budget for healthier food.