One of my favourite things to do in our warm months is to go to local Farmers’ Markets. Besides getting out in the fresh air and having the pleasure of speaking directly to the growers, farmers’ markets encourage us to eat seasonally and eating seasonally offers us many benefits.
Fresh, Ripe and Nutritious
You are pretty much guaranteed fresh fruits and vegetable when you purchase at farmers’ markets. And because these foods are allowed to fully ripen in the fields before they’re transported to the market they should be more nutritious.
The Produce is so Flavourful
Again because local foods are as close to vine-ripened as possible, coupled with the fact that they tend to be organic, their produce just tastes better than similar items in your grocery store.
Adding variety in to your diet
At the farmers’ market you will find such an assortment of produce. This offers you a great opportunity to try new foods and fill your diet with an assortment of colours and nutrients.
Protecting the Environment
This may not be the first thing to come to mind but shopping at local markets and eating foods in season protects the environment. Local food does not travel far and tends to have much less packaging. Less fuel plus less packaging equals less pollution.
Beyond eating seasonally, shopping at your local market offers other benefits.
In general, prices for fruits and veggies tend to be more reasonable than at the big supermarkets and who couldn’t use a break on the old pocket book every now and then!
Added to this, when you shop at farmers’ markets you support the farmers both financially and in a communal sense.
Small farmers rely on local support to enable their business to survive.
Frequenting your local market allows you to speak directly with the producers and get to know them. You can get a real sense of where your food comes from and the passion, dedication and hard work that it took to get your food to you.
Cultivating this sense of community is good for the soul!
In Ontario our season is short for local markets so get to know where they are and when they are and get out there and support our local farmers!
Here is a link to help you locate a market near you:
http://farmersmarketsontario.com/