For many people, a trip to the local Farmer's market is a weekend must. Many markets have food vendors whipping up ripe smoothies, delicious crepes, tamales and some even provide great kid entertainment, and fresh food to sample. I can safely say that going to the grocery store is not a favorite errand for my daughter. But going to the Farmer's Market...sure thing!
Clearly, most would agree that shopping at the local farmer's market is much more appealing than a trip to a big chain grocery store. And beneficial too. Besides actually talking to a farmer about their growing methods, and maybe even learning a new method of preparing their specialty crop, you'll reap the benefits from:
- LOCALLY GROWN produce (far less fuel waste than shipping across the globe)
- often more AFFORDABLE prices
- SUPPORTING a local economy and a farmer!
- the natural routine of eating SEASONALLY
- SAFER, non-bagged and processed foods
- just picked foods = FRESH!
- VARIETY!
- better TASTE!
- COMMUNITY!
So, what essentials are handy to bring to the farmer's market? Using your own reusable shopping bags is a terrific start but supplying your own produce bags not only cuts down significantly on the outrageous plastic bag waste but will be greatly appreciated by farmers who have to supply for this habit.
Which ones to use? We like using the reusable produce bags by Flip + Tumble and the cotton reusable produce bags by Oh Little Rabbit. And our choice carrying bag, especially for foods that need to be kept cold, is the PackIt social cooler. You can rely on this insulated bag to keep your foods cool for up to 10 hours! And then fold it up and store in the freezer until your next outing.
And for those who are fortunate to have space (and time/skill) to grow your own food, having a good system of composting is essential. Composting is obviously a terrific way to minimize household waste but also ideal for improving soil composition and enabling soil to better retain nutrients, moisture and air for healthy plants!
Our selection of compost bins are for both the counter and the freezer. For counter bins; Fresh Air Kitchen Compost Collector which is designed to allow oxygen to move freely through kitchen waste (food decomposes slower and drier) but without the odor. The stainless steel compost pail is another great option. At the 1 gallon size, this 18/8 (durable and won't rust) stainless steel compost bin will hold several days of food trimmings and scraps. And when it inevitably gets gunked up, send the inner liner through the dishwasher. And yup, the stink is covered - a charcoal filter sits tucked up in the lid to prevent odor. Short on counter space? No worries, the Scrap Happy Scrap Collector is an easy way to compost while keeping scraps stored in the freezer. Made of silicone, this one is also easy to transfer compost out to the garden and keep clean.
