Your Local Farmer's Market

I know, I know, I know… this is oh so Californian of me (and for those who know me personally, I do know that I am from Maryland, so SUE ME!  LOL)… but there is something to be said for checking out your local Farmer’s Market.  They can be amazing places: the farmers that bring their produce to the location can give you great recipes to make that include the goods that they have.  You can even find artisan bakers that take pride in bringing you the perfect cheese roll or sourdough bread.  Or even better, merchants that import free trade coffee.

Very recently, my partner and I went to check out the The Greenbelt Farmer's Market.  We hadn’t been to a real farmer’s market since we lived in California, so we were really excited to check out what this one was like.  All kinds of questions entered our head; would the produce be as fresh as we found on the West Coast?  Would the farmers be as informative?  What other kinds of products were going to be offered there?  Well… we decided to explore.

As soon as we walked into the parking lot of the Roosevelt Center in Historical Greenbelt, we were met with the smile of those who enjoy being outside and the fresh smells of produce.  We made one walk around the market to check out what each vendor offered.  We were so surprised to find a plethora of goods; everything from fresh beef, vibrant red and green peppers, spring onions, and baked goods such as croissants and ham rolls.  I can only speak for myself on this one, but as the Filipino Foodie, I was in HEAVEN.  

So we made our decisions and left one vendor with a bag full of peppers, onions, summer squash and zucchini, and a pint of tomatoes.   

We walked around again and hit the baked goods vendor.  We left there with a bag with 2 blueberry scones and 2 cheese rolls.  The smell of the baked goods was DIVINE.  

 As we exited, we noticed the fruit vendor, who had the most ridiculous summer peaches that Maryland had to offer.

There is one thing to remember about Farmer’s Markets.  Most farmers that sell their produce at these markets sell ORGANIC goods.  This means that the produce is not treated with pesticides and growth hormones that most grocery store grade produce is treated with.  So don’t expect “perfect” produce… its going to have some dents and things in it.  But it’s ALL NATURAL!  So it’s just better to go that route!  Just think, everything that is put on the produce to make it “perfect” goes right into your body.

So grab your reusable bag… and get to your local farmer’s market!  Support your local farmers… it’s worth it.