Move Over Aunt Jemima

Alas! So far, it has rained every time I've gone to the Farmer's Market. Of course, it has rained here almost every day for the last 4 weeks, so it's no surprise that it rained today. *sigh*
Anyway, Bloomington, like almost all other cities/towns in the US, has an awesome Farmer's Market during the summer months. (In LA, the farmer's markets are year-round. So, they might be year-round in other places, too.) Here, the market is open every saturday morning, and I love it! Even when it's raining...

Shopping at farmer's markets makes the world a better place in a lot of ways:
1) You buy directly from local growers, so the money stays in the local economy. As with local elections, your local economy actually has more direct impact on your life than state or national economies (I'll expand on this in another post, but, for now, I'll leave you with a cliff-hanger.). Plus, you can meet and talk with the growers themselves and, therefore, see who your money is supporting. At a grocery chain, your money is just a drop in a pot of corporate profits, but, to a family farmer, your money is their lifeline directly. Farmer's are struggling these days on account of corporate exploitation, so it makes a difference whether or not you buy from them. That's a well-spent $3 for a box of tomatoes!

2) By purchasing from Farmer's Markets, you can truly be aware of where your food is coming from and how it was produced. Local Growers are really interesting people to talk with, and they are usually happy to talk about their growing practices, chemicals used/not used, etc... Today, I met a man who was eager to tell me how to make sassafrass root tea!

3) Locally grown food does not have to travel as far as grocery chain food, and so, the environment is spared the fuel and other resources needed to transport food long distances.

4) The food at farmer's markets tastes better because it is fresher and can ripen "on the vine!"

5) Farmer's Markets are great centers of community! They are a vibrant place to meet new people and find out what your community has to offer. Often, markets are not just about food, local musicians play and other artists and organizations set up booths, as well. If nothing else, I like to go and just hang out.

I should also mention that shopping at farmer's markets is not noticeably more expensive than shopping at a grocery chain. In fact, the local growers are down-right reasonable.

Finally, I want to say that I tasted (and purchased) natural maple syrup today, and it was delicious! I thought it would be far too thick and unbearably sweet. However, it was not thicker than store-bought syrup, and it was slightly less sweet than its name-brand counter-parts. Somehow, it tasted fresh and even light, which I wouldn't have thought possible for syrup.

If you're interested, you can find a farmer's market here. Enjoy!