Written by Diana Robinson, MBA, Esthetician, lecturer, and Professional Blog Writer.
That weekend morning stroll to the farmers market for local fresh fruits and vegetables is every woman’s delight. The sound of people chatting, freshly brewed coffee, soothing music, laughter, and eating fresh fruits on the go gives you a feeling no words can explain. Oh, and those warm freshly baked muffins are divine!
Local Farmers
Supporting a local farmer is beneficial for all. This is helping local farmers provide fresh produce and local produce, but it also helps farmers provide for their families and improve their farms. Growing their farms aids them in providing jobs for residents and make local food more available to local markets and grocery stores.
Local farmers are also beneficial to
- Small businesses – farmers can provide small local businesses with fair prices, allowing small businesses to sell at reasonable rates to grow and later provide jobs for their community.
- Local restaurants can buy fresh local fruits and fresh vegetables and provide high-quality fresh food on their menu.
- Local farmers can become local suppliers making raw materials more affordable for small and large businesses
Local Vendors
A Farmer’s market stroll on Sunday morning and Saturday morning is truly a delight, you will find
- Fresh cut flowers,
- Fresh fruits that are in season and are ripened to perfection. These fruits have fewer chemicals and are way healthier for your body and your skin.
- Food artisans – here you will find some of the best fresh handmade baked bread, handmade cheese, handmade jams, handmade desserts
- Healthy foods – some of these foods are made on the spot for eg sandwiches, fresh coffee, and seasonal offerings On top of that you can find foods that are healthy, fresh, and all with ingredients you can produce, and the best part, you know the farm it’s coming from.
- Artisan crafts- some of these crafts are some of the most creative and you will get a chance to meet local artists, watch them in motion, and interact with them.
Ways to Pay
There are a variety of people who will show up at a farmers’ market. Some people only shop at farmers’ markets to support local businesses with the idea of sustainability, this is beneficial in lessening carbon footprints with less exportation of agricultural products.
- Some people will shop because food is cheaper and fresher
- Others will shop because of their lifestyle either being vegan, healthy eating, etc, purely consuming organic produce
- Some people will shop because the government makes fresh produce accessible to people through the supplemental nutrition assistance program.
Anyone can show up and use a
- credit cards
- Debit cards
- cash
- EBT card
- snap tokens
- market tokens
How to Apply
The application process is very simple even if you do not know which market to apply for.
- First, you can visit your local state website, or call your county office.
- Type in visit, then your state.com, or type in a farmers market in your area
- Apply and be prepared to pay a fee of 25 dollars or more
- Have all financial information about your farm or suppliers, plus information about your raw materials, and provide healthy food information.
- There is always ample parking and easy access and keep an eye out for market updates.