There are only 4 weeks to go for the Beaverton and Milwaukie Farmer's Markets, which are the markets that Pacific Pie Company participates in as a vendor. I am a little bit sad because we get so much of our weekly produce at these markets! But of course we are so lucky to have access to such amazing markets for 6 months of every year. There are SO many reasons to shop at a farmer's market...here are my top 5.
1. Real Food
The fruits and veggies found at Farmer's Markets are truly fresh. In most cases they will have been picked or harvested the day before, or even the morning of, the market. No sitting in cold storage or on the back of some truck - this is fresh food, in season, picked at its peak. Likewise for the meats, eggs, and cheese you can buy at a Farmer's Market - I just love knowing Mike my beef farmer, getting cheese from Rogue Creamery, and beautiful pastured eggs from Champoeg Farm. I don't have to worry about recalls when I know exactly where my food comes from!
2. Support Small Farms
Family farms are becoming an endangered species in the U.S. as big agri-businesses take over so much of our food system. It is hard for the small guys (and gals!) to compete! Buying directly from farmers gives them a fighting chance, and a better return for their produce. Small scale farmers work super hard, and are such a vital part of our local economy and community. I feel so much better about giving my hard-earned dollars directly to a farmer than to some faceless multinational corporation.
3. Food Miles
Food in the US travels an average of 1500 miles to get to your kitchen. This of courses uses an enormous amount of resources, contributes to pollution and global warming, and is also just plain crazy. When you buy produce and othert artisan food products at your local Farmer's Market, they have most likely traveled a pretty short distance. More flavor for you, less crap into the fragile environment.
4. Nutrition
I find shopping at most grocery stores pretty depressing, as the vast majority of the products are highly processed and packaged. Most of it contains artifical ingredients, antibiotics, hormones, and may even be genetically modified. Go to a Farmer's Market, on the other hand, and you will find minimally processed foods that are nourishing for body and soul. When you shop at a Farmer's Market you also naturally eat what's in season. For months now our fridge has been overflowing with beets, carrots, chard, kale, tomatoes, corn - and then our counters are heaped with local onions, potatoes, squash, and garlic. So our meals are packed full of vegetables, which is of course healthy but also delicious.
5. Discovery
Until I started buying produce from the fabulous Sweet Leaf Farms at the Milwaukie Farmer's Market, I had never heard of bietola - a kind of cross between chard and spinach. Now I am hooked, and we use it almost weekly in stir frys, pastas, soups, fritatas, and anything else I can sneak it into. There are so many wonderfully weird products and produce to be found at Farmer's Markets, and vendors who are all too happy to tell you how to use them!
So go grab that market basket and get to your local market!
With thanks to the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, one of the absolute best markets in the country, where I originally picked up the great handout 'Ten Reasons to Shop at a Farmer's Market.'
