Farmers Market

Saturdays can tend to be very busy days around here and I am sure that it is true for you too. But most every Saturday we make time to get to the local Farmers Market. Maybe not all of us go, depending on what time games are and so forth, but at least one of us will go and hopefully several of us will get there. It has become part of our Saturday tradition.

Why?

For several reasons...

#1 You get very fresh, in season, local produce. It hasn't traveled across the country or across the world for that matter. It also hasn't been treated or coated to keep it looking good.

#2 You support local farmers.

#3 The kids get to meet the farmers that grow the food that they are going to eat. Maybe that sounds silly, but anymore kids think everything comes from a grocery store with having no idea of the work that went into growing it. I want the kids to understand that food doesn't just appear in the store. Meeting the farmers helps me teach them where their food comes from and to be thankful for the hard work the farmers put into growing it for us and to God for blessing their crops. It also teaches the kids about the seasons of vegetables.

#4 We eat a whole lot healthier. Vegetables have become a big part of our meals now. Maybe many of you started your kids out right even from the womb, eating lots of lots of veggies. Well, I admit, I did not. I use to hate veggies. Green beans were the only vegetables that I ate. But, they had to be grown by my grandpa and canned by my grandma in order for me to even eat those. So when my grandpa passed away and there were no more green beans, I was in trouble. Grandma finally encouraged me to try cans from the store, but I still didn't prepare them all that often. So the farmers market has changed that for us.

#5 It has us trying vegetables that we normally wouldn't try. The farmers at our Market are excited to share recipe ideas with you.

#6 It is just fun. Once a month there is a bounce house. The kids love that! I love the bounce house because it is free. We almost always run into friends (in addition to the farmers that we love).

So anyway, that is a glimpse into our Saturdays. I know that in most places, markets are only running in part of the year. We are fortunate to have ours all year round. But I do encourage you to attend. It is a lot of fun and healthy too.

Here are some pictures from about a month ago of one of our Saturday visits.