10 Reasons to Shop at Your Local Farmers Market

I've always been a big believer in supporting local businesses; partly because I think huge corporations like those in the food industry are the devil and will do anything, including poisoning people with chemicals and toxins to make a buck. No-likey! But supporting local businesses are important for many reasons to me.

I've always loved the idea of walking into some funky little store and buying something from the person who owns it. You can always tell when they love what they do, and they're usually pretty interesting people when you talk to them. I am in love with the idea of being able to wander through a market knowing that the produce I'm buying is from a Canadian farmer, and that my purchase in some small way is contributing to keeping him - and his staff - employed. I love that the more of us there are who do this same thing, the more likely he is to succeed and keep providing us with healthy fresh foods. I've just loved watching my friends open their own tea shops, granola businesses, fossil and dinosaur shops (for reals!) hair salons, and on-line Earth friendly baby product stores, seeing them grow and become successful at what they're passionate about. They turn your purchase into an experience in some way and it just FEELS different on so many levels to spend your money with them. With my friends, they all care about something specifically, whether it's the environment, dinosaurs, or providing healthy foods to people. When it comes to making your purchases locally, you'll find that passion is the norm, not the exception (like it is when you go to big stores).

Farmers markets are hands down, one of my favorite things. You get to spend the day outside shopping instead of in the mall, so it almost feels like you're out of town for a couple hours. There are no crazy people mowing you down with shopping carts in a frenzy to get to the cashier before you. People are just nicer to each other at the market; I don't know why that is, but I really like it. Everyone at the market is enjoying a leisurely stroll as they visit each booth, stopping to take a peek here and there at what kinds of gems are next. Home made jewelry and baby clothes (how awesome is that?!), jams and preserves, bunches of flowers, gourmet olives (my favorite!), BC Cherries (my other favorite), organic breads made from all types of flours, and dried fruits. There is always a fantastic variety of fresh produce.

Here are 10 reasons to shop at your local Farmers Market:

1) Fresh fresh fresh seasonal produce! So yummy! So healthy, and so good for you!

2) Lots of organic, whole real foods and local items.

3) The business owners know EXACTLY what is in their food & where it came from. Want to know where their farm is? Ask. Want to know if they've used any pesticides? They'll tell you. Want to know what's in their honey? Ask them. They probably made it with their very own hands and love, so they know the answers.

4) Buying products from the vendors at the farmers markets mean you are keeping a Canadian employed. You're also helping to keep any staff they've got employed. You're helping our economy :-)

5) Lots of yummy, free samples. Farmers Market food just tastes better.

6) You can buy real, homemade perogies from a legit Baba! Everyone knows Baba makes the best perogies, and you know she isn't putting anything like sugar in the filling!

7) You get to try different creations people have made that you've never heard of, and that taste delicious! Things like Pecanuk. Know what that is? It's a delicious, healthy pecan snack one of my friends makes at her granola business. She & her brother (how adorable is that?!) sell these at farmers markets in the Edmonton area. Places like the Farmers Market give them a chance at getting their healthy snacks out to people to try.

8) You get to walk = more exercise, AND you get some sun =Yay vitamin D! And, you might even get a tan (for those of you who are not ghastly white little blonde girls who don't have any skin pigment so can't get a tan, whose friends ask her if she is wearing white nylons when she is wearing a skirt and merely exposing the natural color of her legs. Thanks Carly! )

9) You can pick up almost everything you need for groceries for the week at home in one place (that is, if you're eating healthy, and not looking for boxes of frozen convenient pizzas). The supermarket might be convenient, but so is the Farmer's Market. They have pretty much everything that you need.

10) You get to experience buying something from someone who made, grew or picked their products with their very own hands and heart. You're not only getting food, you're getting food that was made with love, instead of something that was processed by machines and robot ninjas, or people wearing surgical masks. Actually, it would be pretty cool to see a robot ninja make dinner, I'm not going to lie to you, but they just can't love what they do like a real person does.

So, next time you're getting your grocery list ready and heading out to pick up your food for the week, make your first stop at the Farmers Market, and check it out. You'll be supporting local businesses, and it's a great place to find whole, real foods. Here's a link to the Farmers Markets in Alberta, but if you're not from here, just do a search on-line and find out what's going on in your neighborhood.
http://www.albertamarkets.com/