Visiting farmers markets are a quintessential part of all seasons, and they are just one of many ways to connect with agricultural life in your city.
Local farmers markets are an amazing opportunity to buy fresh, locally produced and humanely raised eggs and meats. If you are searching for homemade bread, local fruits, and fresh milk products, you sure have a chance to find it all. Check if there is one in your city!
Building close relationships at local farmers markets
If you find the time to visit one of the local markets, there is nothing easier than developing a close relationship with a farmer you see each week. Farmers become friends looking out for you, picking the best quality items and holding them for you.
Flavourful and nutrient-dense foods
Often, when you go and do your grocery shopping in commercial supermarkets, the vegetables sold have been sitting on the shelve for quite some time.
And their journey before even being placed on the shelve hasn’t been short either.
Visiting local farmers markets is provides you with the ability to pick fresh & locally sourced vegetables, harvested within 24 hours before your purchase. Usually that is when vegetables are very dense with healthy nutrients.
Unique source of protein
At the market, you’ll likely see different shapes, sizes and colours of vegetables. You are maybe unfamiliar with that from the traditional grocery stores.
For example, farmers might bring rare apple varieties that aren’t usually sold in supermarkets.
That way, you might be experiencing something that will enrich your knowledge and most probably help you to enrich your diet as well!
Deeper connection with your food
Whether it’s the apples or tomatoes you love, possibly they have been grown by a family for generations. Farmers love telling you how their produce got to the market.
They simply love what they do. And don’t you think food tastes the best when made with love?
Enjoy the season
The food you buy at the local farmers markets is seasonal. Fresh, delicious, reflecting foods truest flavours. Reconnect with the cycles of the nature in your region.
Maybe in spring, you are looking forward to asparagus. While in summer it might be a sweet corn, followed by pumpkins in autumn. Allow yourself to reconnect with the earth, the weather and overall cycle of the year.
Learn cooking recipes, tips and meal ideas
When buying your food from supermarkets, rarely cashiers provide you with tips on how to cook. And that is a totally different story when visiting a market.
True, personal connection & built community is very present there. These people are often very passionate about cooking.
They provide you with plenty of free advice about cooking the food they are selling. Apart from healthy nutritious foods, attending local farmers market can truly make you a professional in the kitchen.
Why then connecting with your local farmers markets?
Shopping at your local farmers markets allows you to reconnect with nature, reconnect with the food you cook. That way we can get healthier and maybe also more conscious about what we consume on daily basis.
Supporting local business in your city is also something worth mentioning.
You can be proud of yourself. You are part of an ecosystem we can all benefit from. Not only the consumers, but the hardworking local farmers as well!