My Farmers Market
Local Farmers markets
Of course I don't always stay in my garden and part of my life is to visit Farmers markets where I do get many of my plants and items for the garden and food for our home. As things start to slow in the garden I wanted to tell you about our Farmers markets.
I love Farmers Markets. We always go to our
local Farmers Market when it is on and as its not on every week
we sometimes go to others in nearby villages and towns.
The atmosphere at our local farmers' market is great and we buy fresh lovely produce and crafts. This page is a
celebration of Farmer's markets, local produce and why we love them!
I will be honest with you and say that I do
shop at supermarkets and local shops as well but I do try to shop local whenever possible.
They can also offer goods farmers markets do
not and are available every day while our local farmers market is
once a month. I am grateful that they are there for me but I do
love to shop at the farmers market when I can for the reasons I
give below.
Please note that photographs were
taken by me or my husband and I appreciate you not copying.
Why Shop At A Local Farmers Market? - Reasons to buy local produce at a local farmers' market.
One simple reason is that it supports our local farmers. By buying directly from the farmer and their stall there is no middleman. This means that the prices are lower for the buyer and the farmer doesn't have to work with anyone else to sell his goods. Therefore he or she can keep more of the money you give to him/her.
This helps farmers, especially on the smaller
farms, stay in business and make a decent profit-while you still
get the goods at a good price.
In addition, you can ask the farmer at your local
Farmers Market, directly any questions you want to know about how
the vegetables are produced, how the animals are kept etc.
Sociable shopping at your local farmers market
I Love Shopping At A Farmers Market
Its a really different feel shopping at a Local
farmers market to shopping in a supermarket.
To us, supermarket shopping feels like a bit of a
slog. It always feels rushed and it's rare anyone talks to you,
except for the often wonderful checkout staff. It is a job to be done.
However, we look forward to the farmer's market.
We often walk down and its great to see so many people there. We
always have fun there and get great goods and it feels much more
relaxed.
Now that we have been doing this for a while we know the same farmers and are building up a relationship/rapport with them. I now know exactly who I like to get my free-range eggs and veg from. I always fuss the stallholders dogs if they bring them!
We also meet other people there, some we know, some we don't know but people seem to be happier to chat and pass the time of day with you when it's in this environment. Often there are charity stalls that explain their work and receive donations.
We also meet other people there, some we know, some we don't know but people seem to be happier to chat and pass the time of day with you when it's in this environment. Often there are charity stalls that explain their work and receive donations.
Parents bring their kids who can run around safely and no one minds if they laugh and shout and have fun. People bring their dogs too and again no one minds and in fact it's a very sociable meeting place for dog owners. All in all, it's a good sociable atmosphere.
Often at our local farmers market, there is live entertainment from local groups and bands as well. People just seem more relaxed somehow...
It is really lovely to have this sense of a community so sadly lacking in many areas of life now.
Tasty food at your Local Farmers Market
Most of the food at a farmer's market is really fresh. Vegetables and fruit picked very recently are sweet and tender. It usually hasn't traveled far and is fresher and better for you.
From the second food is picked or harvested, any
natural sugars start to turn to starch, so the longer it travels
and takes to get to you the less tasty it will be.
When you buy direct from a farmer, you are in touch with the seasons and generally seasonal veg and fruit will be on their stalls. This produce is therefore at its best and most abundant and therefore often cheaper.
For anyone used to supermarket goods though there are a few things to get used to. The carrots will not necessarily be of a similar size. Vegetables might not be trimmed to the same length.
Many farmers bring their goods straight from the earth so they may have a light covering of earth in some cases. The fruit especially the apples smell of fresh air and
sunshine, the greenness of the produce is natural with some flaws.
You get to choose from a variety of sizes of cauliflower. It is all
much more natural.
Local farmers market shopping list...
Carrots
Cabbage
Fruits
Greetings cards
Cheese
Free-range eggs
Gifts from the craft stalls.
Potatoes
Greens
Homemade jam
Your Local Economy. How farmers markets can help
If you buy locally grown produce at your farmers market, not only are you cutting the miles food usually travels but you are helping your local farmers and craftspeople. The better they do potentially the more job creation there may be available.
Also, farmers markets have become a bit of a
tourist attraction in some areas, attracting people visiting the
area to try out local produce and if self-catering in a holiday
cottage or camping to buy their food there too.
It is not all about the food either, at our
local market there are a variety of craft stalls run by local
people including handmade soaps, candles, and items like picture
framing.
Sometimes there are handmade baskets, wooden carvings and
even very large items like solid wooden garden furniture and
beautiful metal items for the garden and home. Garden goods can be
found such as wormeries, outdoor decorations, herbs, fruit trees
and flowers.
It can be a great place to find that special
unique present for friends and family or even just for you or your
home!
The Best Aspect Of Farmers Markets.
Farmers Markets reducing waste. - Don't let good food go to waste.
Sadly some food heading for supermarkets is
rejected as it does not look the standard the supermarkets want to
sell, i.e. it is the wrong size or shape or sometimes not quite the
right colour. This is what supermarkets think we want. So good food
is rejected and goes to waste.
Personally, I do not care what size my carrots are, or if my cabbage is a perfect shape, just that they are good to eat! You may well find a variety of shapes, sizes and colours of
produce at a local farmers' market, but it's all tasty!
I am not knocking supermarkets. They do an
incredible service and are there for us many hours almost every
day, supplying us with all manner of foods that we cannot get
locally. I just feel we need to celebrate our farmers markets too
as we do not want to lose them.
Stalls You May Find At A Local Farmers Market
There are many stalls that can be found at a
local farmers' market! Its is not all about fruit and veg and meats either! Here is a selection(not a definitive list) of the type of
stalls you might find....
Free Range Eggs
Cheeses
Wormeries
Herb plants
Fruit trees
Flowers
Fruit and vegetables
Locally made /handmade Greetings cards
Local crafts
Handmade soaps/candles etc
Garden decorative crafts
Garden furniture
Specialty meats
Local produced sausage/fishcakes etc
Standard and more exotic meats
Homemade jams, marmalades, pickles etc
Local artists
Pet supplies.
and many more
The Farmers Market Is Where I Get A Lot Of My Plants For Our Garden
Thank you for your visit. Do You visit Farmers markets?
I would love to hear about your local Farmers
market. I do read each comment before publishing and appreciate you
taking the time to comment.
Thank you for your visit
I
would love to hear about your local Farmers market. I do read each comment before publishing and appreciate you taking the time to comment. Here are some comments from when this was published on a different site.
Thank you
Thank you
Oh
that is wonderful! I wish ours were that often. In addition to our
local one, we tend to now go to a couple in villages around us so that
we can visit a farmers market nearly every week. Thank you for visiting
I appreciate that :)
We are so lucky in our retirement community that we have a market on Mondays and Fridays. Very convenient.
On Tuesdays and not too far from here. Lots of fresh produce. Love it!
I love farmer markets . we used to have a big one In my home town wonderful lens.
Great
lens! I'm just finishing my another health lens today and this was such
a nice reading. I'm from Croatia (Europe) and we still have this great
tradition of having farmers markets in ALL cities. So, I enjoy healthy
foods every week:-)
We have a great one here, but I don't go enough. Thanks for reminding me!
I
participated in a local Farmers Market in South Carolina (Pendleton)
for the past two summers, having a table selling my crafts, and usually
coming home with my fresh vegetables for dinner and/or a tasty fresh
homemade baked treat! The local farmers are great to know and by buying
from them you know exactly what you are getting. Farmers Markets
everywhere are the best places to shop for fresh fruits & vegetables
and nifty & unique locally handmade gifts.
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