Prettyluckygirl: Farmers Market/Urban Farms

I LOVE FARMERS MARKETS!!!

I love bringing home all my fresh vibrant healthy veggies, washing them, prepping them, thinking about all the awesome dishes I am going to create... Such a complete experience. Getting out of the house at 8:30a on Saturday morning is actually fun. I groggily make my way to the church parking lot where the market is held, my empty ceramic coffee mug waiting to be filled with freshly roasted coffee by the super friendly (probably overly caffeinated) guy at the coffee stand.

All the farmers there are so friendly and happy about their farm experience. You come to a much more personal relationship with your food. Just like you should. The modern, completely random, vague, impersonal food to table experience seems to be killing us. So why not take advantage of this network of farmers willing to drive into the city with their goods? Anyway, knowing where your food is grown, who grew it and what is in season is mighty satisfying.

You can get eggs, cheese, milk, butter, yogurt and the farmer is right there to tell you about his chickens, goats, cows etc. He can tell you exactly what he does and does not feed his animals. More than likely he will have pictures of his farm.

You can certainly taste the difference! I was surprised at how much better fresh eggs tasted. And looked - all different sizes and colors. There is no comparison between a vine ripened tomato and truck ripened...

A day's shopping : ))

So, the next step is growing some food of your own. No available 1/2 acre? No problem.

Your farmers are happy to sell you these little starter plants and you're on your way. A windowsill herb garden is no new invention Neither is the potted tomato plant on the balcony. Urban farming is the final frontier. Rooftop farms solve many problems at once (please investigate). Neighborhood empty lot gardens are a show of solidarity as much as a source of fresh food.