Eating Weeds and Saving Money

Farmer’s Markets have grown in popularity in the last few years. It is heartening to see more and more vendors sampling things like fresh almond milk and Kale Salad!). It is wonderful to stroll along the street and see neighbors and friends picking out beautiful, fresh produce, flowers, local honey and organic olive oil, fresh raw sauerkraut, and other items created in our region.

It’s a trend that has taken hold all over the country, thankfully so. Not only does the produce taste better – it keeps longer. It has not been subjected to fluctuations in temperature from long storage and transportation time. We’re not paying thousands of dollars for fossil fuel to transport the produce. Most often it is picked fresh early in the morning,

while the dew is still on the vine, and brought to market that day. It’s a tradition long popular in Europe, and I’m so glad that the U.S. has finally caught up with the trend and learned the value of supporting local farmers, while improving personal and planetary health. Not only that, it gets our community outdoors for a few hours together as in the days of the old town square.

Another huge benefit of farmer’s markets is variety. Supermarkets and even some health food stores may only have certain vegetables available, but local farmers have more leeway to experiment with heirloom seeds, save their seeds for future year’s planting, and introduce the public to delicious new varieties. I’ve tried long, skinny beets and

Orach, a fresh leafy vegetable also called Purple Passion Spinach, and I found Marionberries at the market a few weeks back. Hadn’t tasted them since I moved here from Oregon 9 years ago! The vegetables and fruits I get at the farmers market are not only bursting with flavor, they’re bursting with nutrients, and I feel good that the money I spend at the farmers market goes directly to the farmer so that they can keep on doing the very important work of nourishing all of us with fresh, ripe produce from mother earth. Shopping at farmer’s markets also helps us remember to eat seasonally. Every week the mix of vegetables and fruits changes depending on what is ripening in the fields and orchards, and that is an incredible benefit to us all. Who doesn’t love the fresh basil, corn and tomatoes that are coming out right now?  We’d love to learn more about what others are doing to promote sustainability and support local farmers in their areas. Share your stories and links in the comments section below. Love fresh ripe, raw food. Love your local farmer!