Americans have come to know farmer's markets as outdoor markets which are held so that farmers can sell their fresh produce to consumers. Right off the bat, a couple of the reasons that people shop at farmer's markets, and why you, too, should shop there, have to do with the real freshness of the produce along with the added benefit of helping to support local farmers. All of the produce you buy at any given farmer's market is grown locally. A really traditional way that farmers sell home-manufactured as well as agricultural products, farmer's markets are seeing growth both in the United States and also in parts of Europe. Farmer's markets are also known as having flexible standards, with some imposing strict rules for prices, while others allow a more lenient condition for their vendors.
1. Helping Local Farmers
The first reason you should be shopping at farmer's markets has nothing to do with the fresh quality of the produce. It is making sure that these local farmers can continue operations. Since the produce is grown locally, you are supporting the network of local farmers by buying your produce at farmer's markets. This is important for the most immediate reason of doing your part to help ensure that these farmers can continue their local growing operations. Typically, the prices that are wholesale that farmers get for their produce is quite low; consequently, these farmers then take their produce and sell it directly to you, bypassing a middle man like a store altogether. This also results in better deals for consumers.
2. Quality of the Food
Because of how farmer's markets often feature produce and food that is grown both naturally and organically, the taste quality is superior than at other outlets. Farmers who sell their produce at farmer's markets are able to retain the nutritional content of their products, pick their produce at the very peak of its flavor, and also offer you hard-to-get foods, such as raw milk. As an additional bonus, the food they sell does not need to travel very far to get to your table (basically, just their farms to the market to your table), which helps to ensure that the food does not get damaged or bruised as it sometimes does when being transported to grocery stores.
3. Environmental Reasons
The final reason that you should be shopping at farmer's markets deals with the environment. The amount of fossil fuels is drastically cut since the time of travel is reduced in the delivery of the produce from farms to your dinner table. Studies have also indicated that the network of managed and sustainable farms that comprise the backbone of farmer's markets help to both conserve water resources as well as the purity of the soil. This factor helps wildlife by helping to preserve its habitat.
