Think Globally Eat Locally: Farmers’ Markets

Farmers’ Market
Originally uploaded by NatalieMaynor

For many people, your local Farmers’ market is a piece of local color. It’s a place to take the kids, to see your neighbors, to pick up some produce while you’re there. I’m lucky to live in Los Angeles and have a wealth of Farmers’ markets to visit. The one I usually go to, the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, goes on for blocks, and features balloon animals, Korean, Thai and German prepared food, and a Rastafarian drummer who is always surrounded by toddlers banging along on drums to a reggae version of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” But for all the entertainment the market can provide, it’s the produce that really shines. Shopping for food at your local Farmers’ market provides multiple benefits; ecological, educational, economical and culinary.More…

As energy supplies are getting tighter, we’ve started noticing how much fuel it takes to get food on our tables - not just the gas it takes to run the farm equipment, but also the often undiscussed cost of transporting the food from wherever it came from. We’ve become spoiled by the global economy with the idea that we can get any produce at any time – strawberries in November? No problem, they’re just flown in from Chile. By buying produce at your local Farmers’ market, you know that whatever you’re buying was driven in that day, and was probably produced no more than a few hours away.

But shopping at a Farmers’ market has other benefits apart from the reduced fuel consumption. When you shop at the Farmers’ market, you get a chance to talk to the people who produce your food – ask them about the varieties of produce they grow and why, ask them about their harvesting techniques, their crop rotation, the use of pesticides or chemicals. It’s truly an educational experience. You also have the benefit of supporting your local economy and smaller farmers – anyone can go into Wal*Mart and pick up some organic food, but by shopping locally you support a local network of food suppliers that makes our distribution system stronger overall. Often things are priced lower at the Farmers’ market because you’re eliminating the middle man – you’re buying directly from the grower, with no supermarket chain taking a cut.

Plus the produce is usually just better. You are buying seasonal food, which is at its peak of flavor. Because the food doesn’t have to travel as far, it can be picked when riper, so you get peaches that taste like peaches and tomatoes that are out of this world. Plus, Farmers’ markets often offer varieties of fruit and vegetables that you don’t find in conventional supermarkets – things like zucchini blossoms, Blenheim apricots, or fiddlehead ferns.

We’re in the middle of the best bounty of Farmers’ markets – the stone fruits and tomatoes are at their peak, and we’re moving towards the apples and pears of fall. Next time you’re planning your weekend grocery trip think about stopping at a Farmers’ market first (a list of markets can be found at localharvest.org). Who knows? You might just get a balloon animal out of it, too.

AmuseBouche