why do i shop farmers markets? 💕

1. FRESHER FOOD = MORE NUTRIENTS
farmers market produce has typically travelled a much shorter distance than what we get at the grocery store, and was picked in the day or two before market. studies have shown that produce starts losing nutrients after it’s harvested and can lose a lot, quickly! that means your farmers market fruits and veggies are likely to be much more nutritionally dense than average grocery store fare.

2. I’M VOTING WITH MY DOLLAR
i recently found a blog i kept almost 10 years ago, and one of my favorite posts–then and now!–was about my then newfound field-to-fork approach. i wrote the following about voting with your dollar: “if we don’t support local communities, they won’t be able to sustain themselves, and before we know it all food will be corporate. that means it will have to travel further, contain more preservatives, and be more expensive, both in immediate cost and in terms of the cost we sustain to the environment.” i think that about sums it up 🙂

3. SENSE OF COMMUNITY
the world can feel lonely, especially when you live in a city or on your own. for me, going to the farmers market has always felt like getting to know my neighbors and my community. i love learning what the vendors grow or stock, eventually being recognized when i visit a stand week after week, and hearing their stories. farmers are healers, skilled at and passionate about helping people through the food they grow, and their purpose is contagious, reinforcing my own!

4. BEING PRESENT
shopping the farmers market helps me drop into my body, bigtime. while my head may still be calling most of the shots, i’m also tuning into my sensory experiences as i smell, touch + taste. yesterday i smelled a lesser-grown type of mint at the @windrosefarm stand and was transported to the herb garden my mom had when i was a kid!

why do YOU go to the farmers market? how did you get started? how has it shaped what and how you eat? i want to hear all about YOUR experiences!