The Case for Farmers Markets

Besides being a delightful experience, why is it that Farmers Markets are so superior to regular old grocery stores? I decided to do a little research and see if there was more to it than the fact that it's just a really lovely thing to do on the weekends (which let me admit, with our hectic summer schedule I barely had time to get to them but I tried!). Here's what I found:

1. This article that lists 10 reasons why to support farmers markets, my favorite of their 10 reasons: #4 protect the environment. They say that on average food travels 1500 miles to get to your plate, think about how much gasoline that is!! The more we can eat locally, the more we can help cut down on those super unnecessary contributions to pollution
2. This article which talks about specific foods that are better to buy from farmers markets. Most of them have to do with the fact that you'd be supporting American farmers as opposed to international farmers by shopping for these items from places closer to home (similar to number 1), however, they also talk about how these imported fruits and veggies are often fumigated in toxic chemicals. YUCK
3. This myth-busting article which I had two takeaways from. The first citing a study that shows on average farmers markets are actually less expensive than conventional grocery stores. The second is that everything at a farmers market is seasonal, so while your options might be a little limited you know you are getting the foods that are meant to be eaten that time of year!
4. Finally, since I'm a sucker for infographics, this article and the image below just really help me to visualize and summarize all of the reasons why Farmers Markets are the best choice: