If you want to know about the food that you are eating, what better way than going right to the source? The farmers market is a wonderful method to find out where your food is coming from. Farmers markets have a lot of benefits one might not realize. Growing up, almost every Saturday my mom and I would go to the local farmers market to get the best produce. It made such a difference, and the produce had such rich flavors since we bought it fresh. 

The farmers are very helpful when asked for advice on how to prepare their products. I’ve learned some family famous sauce recipes when using their tomatoes, which turned into my family’s favorite pasta sauce. 

The farmers who were there when I was a little kid are still there every Saturday. This gives the farmers market a sense of community. There is also a great atmosphere of a community at the market because most of the farmers are close with the families. 

Toward the end of one market day, I saw a strawberry tent that passed some of their fruit to the honey tent and the vegetable tent had passed their food to the bread tent. It is always refreshing going to the farmers market. 

That way, one knows their food is reliable. It is guaranteed that what they put into their crops is healthy, instead of having to guess what chemicals are normally added. They are also very passionate, because it is something that they have grown up with their whole lives and has been passed on in their family for generations. 

There is always something new to learn and try for each experience. Also, the variety is incredible. If you think Costco is great with the samples, then you need to attend a farmers market. 

Usually sold within 24 hours of being harvested, fruits and vegetables produced locally are fresher and taste better than produce that has been shipped for a long period of time. 

Local food does not travel far. This reduces carbon dioxide emissions and packing materials.

People associate organic with being expensive, but that is not the truth. My experience shopping at the local farmers market has never been expensive. In fact, it can be cheaper than the grocery store because the farmers try to give away all of their produce by the end of the market. 

Going to a farmers market helps support the local farmers. When farmers sell directly to the consumer, the middleman is cut out, thus producing a higher profit for the farmer. The farmer then circulates his profits throughout the community with local merchants creating a cycle that helps to build a strong local economy. 

One should give the farmers market a try. It will be worth it.