I think after I spent a semester abroad in Italy, I became hooked on farmer’s markets and buying locally grown food. I made it a weekly habit to go to the Mercato Centrale in Florence to buy fresh produce and mozzarella. Unfortunately, once I returned to Wisconsin, I couldn’t find nearly as many goodies or markets that were open year round like they were in Italy.
Luckily, once the warmer weather decides to appear in May, the farmer’s markets begin to open throughout the state and typically stay open through the beginning of October. (Although, there are some markets that are held indoors with more handmade goods and minimal produce sold due to the winter).
This summer I made sure to go to at least one farmer’s market, and I was lucky enough to visit a few different ones throughout the state. In my hometown, we have our farmer’s markets held on Tuesdays and I stopped by yesterday to scoop up a few goodies to bring home. =)
Farmer’s Market Finds:
- Bundle of Mint –$1
- Large bunch of Kale-$1
- Medium sized watermelon-$3.25
- Three large yellow peppers-$1
- Three different types of tea-$2
- Glass of fresh squeezed lemonade-$3
I bought all of this for only $11.25! At the grocery store, this would all probably add up to over $20 (I know the mint usually costs $3 for half the amount of mint I got, and Kale can be pretty pricey since it’s usually found in the organic section).
Why shop at farmer’s markets?
- Support local farmers (many of which make their living off their sales)
- VERY cheap food
- Freshly picked and local (not shipped from out of state or country like you’d find at the grocery store)
- There’s more to purchase than just food–artwork, local business sales, watch various entertainment, etc.
- It’s FUN!
(I bought these Dahlias two weeks ago at the same farmer’s market for $7! Such a good deal! I used to work as a floral designer, and dahlia’s would sell anywhere from $2-$7 per STEM, so this was a STEAL! The large dahlia on the bottom was the size of my hand!)
Don’t know where to find a local farmer’s market? Simply head to Google and search!
