10) Oh, the market was this morning?! I always forget!

            Your local Farmer’s Markets all have regular schedules, and many have mid-week hours as well. Mark your calendars and get into the Farmer’s Market habit – you’ll begin to enjoy the seasonality of certain items and tap into the rhythms and cycles of farming. Visit the “Markets” tab on this website to find the Farmers Markets near you!.

9) I’d come if they set up on my driveway.

            With the rise of internet shopping and superstores, we are rapidly growing into a nation of consumers who demand convenience. Unfortunately, that convenience often carries with it social and environmental costs (including sacrifices in “quality”) that we don’t see. The relative inconvenience of shopping at the Farmer’s Market carries with it benefits in quality (taste, better nutrition from a ripe product, freshness) and the social benefits of supporting local craftspersons (farmers are crafters, after all!). Supporting organic or sustainable farmers makes a positive environmental statement as well.

8) Middlemen work hard and really deserve the lion’s share of my food dollar.

            On average, farmers receive less than 15% of each dollar you spend on food. That’s a lot of money going into advertising, transportation, salespeople, and countless other folks who move, process and sell food, but precious little to the folks nurturing food from the ground. At a Farmers Market, every penny goes to the grower of the food – that difference can help keep farmers on their land.

7) I’m afraid that I might run into someone I know or get to know a farmer personally and have interesting and enjoyable conversations when I could be happily at home with my TV.

            Okay, this one’s a no brainer. Farmer’s Markets are social gatherings – get out there and join the party!

6) Foods that travel across the country (or from foreign countries) have interesting stories to tell of far off lands and of hard travellin’.

            Some foods (mangoes, bananas, citrus, pineapples) simply have to travel to our table, and they are often very interesting, but most foods can be grown right here by people who are a whole lot more interesting than a grocery store shelf. You may be surprised what an intelligent and engaging bunch Farmer’s Market vendors are – those who go, know!

5) I don’t eat vegetables.

            Get with the program, man! Besides that, there are fruits, meats, breads, cakes, honey, eggs, crafts and countless other goodies at Farmer’s Markets. There is something for everyone (and everyone should eat vegetables!).

4) It’s pretty cool that tomatoes can be picked green in Arizona, shipped across the country, stacked in a room and ripened with ethylene gas to make them look beautiful and red, isn’t it?!

            Cool?!? Maybe on one level, but for food to be enjoyed, taste and ripeness are key. There is simply no way that an industrial, worldwide food system can compete with a local Farmer’s Market for taste and freshness. As for cool, check out the variety and the colors and the shapes and the energy at a Farmer’s Market – that’s cool. Heirloom Tomatoes? Definitely cool.

3) I’m kind of a bland person and I feel comfortable with bland foods.

            Life’s too short to spend afternoons in the processed food aisle. Get a good cookbook, try some new recipes, spice up your life once in a while! Most of what you need can be found at your Farmer’s Market. If you don’t see it, ask – chances are someone will be willing to grow it for you.

2) Food is cheaper at the store.

            Cheap is cheap. You get what you pay for. If you are at all concerned with environmental and/or social justice, you’ll recognize that cheap food has dangerous costs all the way down the line. Speak with your dollars and support local, sustainable agriculture. Besides, you may be surprised to find that food prices at Farmer’s Markets are often no more expensive than at the store – but even if it were triple the price, it would be dollars well spent.

1) I enjoy the mystery of not knowing where my food comes from.

            When it comes to food, the fewer mysteries, the better. At least 60% of foods in your local grocery store are made with genetically modified ingredients, but there are no laws requiring such foods to be labeled. There’s a mystery. Well over a hundred known carcinogens are used in food production, but we have little knowledge of their affects on people (particularly children), especially in combination with each other. There’s a mystery. You want more? Me neither.

            Farmer’s Markets give consumers the opportunity to learn about the production of their food. Just ask. Farmers are happy to talk about their practices. You learn a little more about food production, and the farmers learn a little more about what their customers are looking for. Leave the mysteries to the Hardy Boys.

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