Farmer's Market Database by the USDA

While browsing around the internet, I ran across this great tool to help consumers find Farmer's Markets in their neighborhoods. Most of us are familiar with the many resources available to give access to this kind of information, but this one is through the USDA and seems reasonably up to date and very simple to use.  Go to the USDA Farmer's Market Search tool, plug in your state and do not hit enter. It will automatically direct you to the graphical  map. You can do a list search, too, a little lower on the page which gives you locations and other information about the Markets.

The USDA data shows that the increase in Farmer's Markets over the last year is more than 16%. This figure articulates the dramatic increase in consumer demand for local, accountable, fresh food. In hopes that it continues to grow and lessen the demand on the industrial food markets, we should continue to share and convert those that don't already take advantage - at least part time - of what is available to them locally and seasonally.

A recent article in the Washington Post brings up a well-stated point regarding that even though there is plenty of access to fresh, whole, locally-produced, seasonal food that there are several different camps on the subject. Some people know it exists, and don't want to change their eating habits. Some people want to change their eating habits, but don't have access. Some people don't know the health effects  of industrial food and, therefore, have no interest in changing their diet because they don't see anything wrong with it in the first place.

The article suggests that some people consider eating seasonally and locally as "elitist" because the up-front cost seems so expensive. We have to remember that food is ultimately cultural. Today exists at least two generations raised within an industrial food complex; we are likely to see at least some resistance to the idea of making our own food from scratch for a number of reasons.

The fact is that many meals made at home with local, seasonal food procured from Farmer's Markets would qualify as "peasant food" by most anthropologists' definitions. Hearty soups, polenta, rustic breads, gruel and egg dishes constitute the bulk of many cultures around the world and in my own experience, I have found that these simple, yet nutritious, diets are the least expensive both monetarily and healthfully.

Part of the American Way is to have other people or machines do stuff for us. And that's why we have the health epidemics of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers in the high percentages that we do. Not only are most Americans making poor choices, we're not expending the energy ourselves that it takes to create them in the first place.

Shopping Farmer's Markets won't solve all of these problems, of course. But shopping them for things that typically cost the same in season as they would in a grocery store benefits not only our healthfulness, but our community that grows and sells them at Farmer's Markets, and ultimately our cities, counties and states, all the while often times reducing the carbon footprint of shipping from long distances. And every little bit helps.

Photo credit USDA Farmer's Market Search