I've blogged before about how much I love the farmer's market where I live! The fall produce is here, and it entices all my senses.
Sight: The colors of the squash, fall flowers, corn, kale and chard are vibrant.
Sound: Walk through the market and hear musicians playing everything from bluegrass, blues, a symphony and an ehru.
Taste: Attend on a tasting day and you're in for an explosion on your tongue! The apple tasting is coming soon.
Touch: I run my hand over the textures of the various squash, melons, and gourds. Bumpy, smooth, rough, prickly.
Smell: The aromas of fall are here - decaying leaves, the kettle corn, the smell of the melons and squash.
Supporting the farmers and growers in your area is one of the best things you can do from many perspectives:
- Money goes to your neighbors, the local farmers. Most of them are small, independent (not owned by an agri-corp), family farms. Many of them practice sustainable agriculture.
- The travel distance is short, saving petro, reducing pollution, and increasing the nutritional value of your food.
- Looking into the faces of the people who grow your food is a special thing.
6 comments:
Thanks for sharing Steph. I really appreciate this post. I love my farmer's market too! I go every Saturday and I look forward to it all week. Its a ritual for me. I love knowing where my produce comes from, the fact that its organic and locally grown. And it tastes far better than anything we could buy in the grocery store!
I'm with you, I love the farmers market!!
Thanks for the reminder Steph. I love the farmer's market but have been so busy lately that I haven't made the time to go on the one day it runs near my house. I shall remedy that this week.
The other cool thing about the farmer's market: if you're single you can buy very small portions of things. Nice to not have to worry about things going bad before you get to eat them.
Your post reminds me of being a child & going to the farmer's market with my mom. She canned a lot so this time of year was big for buying what our garden didn't produce & then canning it to prepare for the winter months.
I agree wholeheartedly about buying local -- and I feel fortunate here in Minnesota to find over 50 farmer's markets in the Twin Cities area! Many of the farmers are Hmong immigrants which makes it even more interesting.
Love, love, love squashes.
Lovely blog. . .I'll visit again.
I am lucky to live in the San Joaquin Valley which is called the "world's fruit basket". We have farmer's markets everywhere. I have lots of family that are farmers too and I love it when they share from their gardens. I never have to buy tomatoes, cucumbers or grapes in the summer. We also have several citrus trees and a grapevine. Next year I have plans for my own big garden.
Hi Steph! Thank you very much for visiting my blog.
I put yours under my favorites. I'll visit it as often as I could.
Oh yes, fall is a great time of year here too...:)
Greetings!!
Mislav in Croatia
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