Good food starts with good ingredients and when buying produce, fresh is best.
Food bought from a local farmer was picked within the last day or two, and it is full of flavor. Recent studies show the average distance from farm to plate is 1,500 miles. Many fruits and vegetables in grocery stores were picked green and shipped from places such as California, South America, and Europe. Traveling that kind of distance means foods will lose flavor and the consumer will gain a significant price increase because of fuel and shipping. Those products are bred to be handled for shipping. Local produce is grown for the taste. Eating locally also means eating seasonally. An important tip for shopping at farmer’s markets is to know your seasons and what produce to expect for each time of year. The grower can tell you when to expect certain fruits and vegetables and what produce will be coming to the market in upcoming weeks. Ask the farmer about their produce. They may have great ideas for recipes and how to store your foods.

Local foods are more nutritious and green (think environmentally friendly).
Locally grown produce is not only tastier, but it is healthier. The longer produce site during shipping or on grocery store shelves, the less nutritional value it retains. Produce looses its vitality as sugars turn into starches and plant cell shrink. Local, fresh produce is going to be more nutritious because it is fresh because it has made the short, timely trip from the farm to the consumer. We can minimize environmental impacts by avoiding products with excessive packaging and large amounts of fuel needed to transport grocery store foods, thus keeping us healthy through a cleaner environment.

Buying local helps the local economy.
Money spent at your local farmer’s market stays in the community. Only a very small percentage of money spent at the large retail stores remains local. Vendors at your local farmer’s market are likely to have shopped locally for their tools, materials, and ingredients needed to make their products. More money spent with local businesses helps your neighbors. Farmers markets have enjoyed a recent and dramatic rise in popularity because of issues such as health, environmental, and economy. Your local farmer’s market caters to the best a community has to offer through locally grown plants, produce baked goods, dairy products, seafood, art, music and crafts! You are able to talk with the folks who made these products and this shopping trip is fun. You cannot get that type of fun at your big box store.