It’s Officially Summer — Time to Find a Farmers Market!
The warmer months are here and that means farmers market season is in full swing! Summer is my favorite season for many reasons — the weather is finally nice enough to get outdoors regularly, the days are longer, and I have weekly farmers markets to look forward to!
Farmers markets are wonderful little pop-ups where local farmers, artists, vineyards, and makers of all sorts bring their wares for you to peruse. If you’re not heavily involved in the local community it’s easy to miss them, plus farmers aren’t really notorious for their great marketing skills. After my latest trip to the market, I finally had the thought, “Is there a database or some way for people to actually find these markets?”
It turns out there is!
The USDA has put together the Local Food Directory, allowing you to search for farmers by zipcode. Their Directory browses a number of databases to show not only farmers markets, but food hubs, community-supported agricultural operations (CSAs), and on-farm markets as well.
I was unfamiliar with some of these terms, so here’s a breakdown of what they are, from the USDA’s official page (with my added notes for clarity):
Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Enterprise or Operations - A CSA is a farm or network of multiple farms that offers consumers regular deliveries of locally-grown farm products during harvest season on a subscription or membership basis.
Think of a CSA as a locally-sourced food subscription!
Food Hubs - A Food Hub is a business that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of food products to multiple buyers from multiple producers, to strengthen the ability of these producers to satisfy local and regional wholesale, retail, and institutional demand.
Food Hubs provide varying levels of infrastructure and distribution to help local farmers scale.
On-Farm Market - An On-Farm Market is a farm market managed by a single farm operator that sells agricultural products directly to consumers from a location on their farm property or on property adjacent to that farm.
This is when you can go to the actual farm to buy goods.
Farmers Market - Farmers markets feature two or more farm vendors selling agricultural products directly to customers at a common, recurrent physical location.
Farmers markets aren’t “always there” like a traditional store, but are scheduled recurring pop-up gathering of vendors.
The USDA’s Local Food Directory is THE place to go for an up-to-date look at all farm-related businesses near you. One search revealed over 87 pages of farms within 30 miles of my location, and now I have a ton of new places to check out on quick weekend trips!
Want to start your own garden? Your local farmers market is a great place to start!
Even if you have zero interest in produce, there’s still so much more to see and partake in at a farmers market. It all depends on your area, but all of my local markets have artisans selling handcrafted jewelry, woodworkers, winemakers, breweries, distilleries, locally roasted coffee makers, florists, and food vendors. There’s way more than that, and the selection of vendors can rotate, so there’s always new things to see.
The lineup of cocktail mixers by Urban River Spirits — I picked up the Lavender & Lemon Mix. ~
Sweet Venus Fly Traps from Plants That Bite Back!
I love getting my weekly treat of fresh strawberries, and I usually end up coming home with an unplanned little extra-something, too. If I see something gluten-free, it’s likely coming home with me (shoutout to the GF sourdough waffle batter starter in my freezer) and I’m a sucker for handmade jewelry. It’s an awesome feeling being able to speak to and buy directly from the people making these goods, they’re always so passionate about their craft and it makes me happy knowing there’s people out here doing their thing despite any obstacles.
Here’s a quick list of some bonus benefits of shopping at farmers markets:
So much fresh produce to choose from!
Fresher produce: Farmers market produce is typically picked at the peak of ripeness, which means it tastes better and has more nutrients than grocery store produce that’s been picked early to account for transit time. My local strawberry farmer told me the berries had been picked less than two hours before the market opened!
Support local vendors: When you shop at farmers markets, you are supporting local farmers and vendors, helping to keep local communities thriving. Many of these businesses are family endeavors, some spanning generations.
Greater variety: Farmers markets often offer a wider variety of fruits, vegetables, and other products than you can find at a grocery store. I’ve gotten to learn which varieties of produce I prefer more than others, making me happier with my purchases overall.
Learn about your food: You can talk directly to the farmers who sell at the market to learn about how their food is grown or their product is created.
Beautiful work by Thunder Star Creations, who told us her process. Beginning with fasting, she collects willow from the river and allows it to dry for 3-4 months. Once dry, Spirit guides her on which crystals to weave in the her dream-catchers based on each pieces’ prayers. Each piece is an authentic labor of love.
A variety of chicken eggs, sorted by size.
Care Rituals has a yummy Raspberry Cordial and a wide assortment of herbal teas to choose from!
This little birdbath is a super cute and unique way to display jewelry. ♡
I hope this post has inspired you to make a trip out to a local farm or farmers market! If you do, I hope they are as fruitful and exciting for you as they are for me!
I’d love to hear about your experiences with farmers markets — have you ever been to one? Have you ever been a vendor at one? Is this your first time hearing about them?
As always, thank you for reading! ♡
