Why You Should Shop at a Farmer’s Market

A farmer’s market offers an alternative to conventional grocery stores. Throughout the growing season, farmer’s markets offer a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other items.  They are everywhere, and with a little hunting you can find one near you.

What Is a Farmer’s Market?

A farmer’s market is a public gathering for the sale of locally grown produce. These events usually happen outside in a parking lot, fairgrounds, or other open space.  Sometimes they take shelter in a park pavilion or community center.  Most farmer’s markets operate during the local growing season, but a few happen year-round.

Usually the market charges the vendors a small fee, and access is free to shoppers.  Vendors set up tables, booths, trucks, blankets, etc. to sell their wares.  Most common fruits and vegetables are available, plus some exotics; often flowers, herbs, and live plants are available.  Some markets also allow people to sell jewelry, clothes, pottery, paintings, toys, or other non-food items.

You can read more about how farmer’s markets work in books such as The New Farmers’ Market: Farm-Fresh Ideas for Producers, Managers & Communities, The Farmers’ Market Book: Growing Food, Cultivating Community, and Farmer’s Market: Families Working Together.

Reasons for Shopping at a Farmer’s Market

At a farmer’s market it is easy to buy local and/or organic foods.  These are better for the environment because their production causes less waste.  They are often more tasty and nourishing than commercial products.  Good guides to choosing and using these foods include The Farmers’ Market Guide to Fruit: Selecting, Preparing & Cooking and The Farmers’ Market Guide to Vegetables.

Practice sustainable agriculture and green living to shrink your food footprint.  Commercial farming of produce and livestock relies on vast scale for a profit, so the quality often suffers.  These techniques also harm the Earth.  Buying from small, local farms supports different techniques that are healthier for people and the environment.

Learn to eat seasonally.  You will always have the freshest food and whatever is in season usually costs less than imports.  Consider cookbooks such as Fresh from the Farmers’ Market (Reissue): Year-Round Recipes for the Pick of the Crop, Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets or The Farmer’s Market Cookbook: Seasonal Dishes Made from Nature’s Freshest Ingredients.

Support the local economy.  Money spent at a farmer’s market goes to people who live nearby, and who will probably spend much of it close to home.  This helps other businesses in the area, too.

You can boost your networking skills by learning how to make a farmer’s market successful, then using that knowledge for outreach.  It’s a great way to make new friends and strengthen community ties.

You might even decide to grow something to sell!  There are helpful guidebooks for this, such as Backyard Market Gardening.

How to Find a Farmer’s Market Near You

Many towns and cities host a farmer’s market.  Look in your local newspaper, at health food stores, or at garden centers for more information.  There are also several places online that list farmer’s markets.  When you go, carpool if possible to make maximum use of the fuel.  Do you know anyone who would like to visit a farmer’s market but does not have a car?  Give them a ride, or take their shopping list and bring back a bag of food for them.

Farmer’s Market lists both certified and uncertified farmer’s markets.  The website has a blog and you can even sign up for news updates via cellphone.

Local Harvest has a searchable database to help you find farmer’s markets, Community Supported Agriculture, food co-ops, organic restaurants, etc. in your area.

AMS has a searchable database for state, city, county, zip code, and types of payment accepted.

Farmer’s Market Online offers an alternative for people who can’t reach a regular farmer’s market.  Here farmers and artisans sell things direct to consumers through cyberspace.  It’s clever, it’s convenient — and you won’t get a sunburn!