For the Love of Farmers Markets

By Katie Alt

Istill remember my very first time visiting a farmers market while living in Raleigh, North Carolina. As I meandered past table after table of fresh produce, the local farmer’s daughters offered samples of the fare in their slow Eastern Carolina drawls. Juicy ripe peaches, freshfrom-the-field sweet corn, golden yellow summer squash, vine-ripened tomatoes, and crisp sweet blueberries were all arranged perfectly on display for consumers to take in with their eyes, and eventually their mouths.

But it wasn’t just the fresh produce that pulled me in that day. It was the colorful fresh cut flowers, the delicious homemade breads, the smell of locally roasted coffee, and the endless concoctions of jellies and jams made to share with all that called to those present. Folks from all walks of life were gathered at the farmers market that morning foraging for fresh goods and a local experience. For those of us who grew up on the farm, or have our own garden, we may not always see the immediate need for a farmers market. On the opposite end of the spectrum, when the grocery store is the closest thing to a farm a person is likely to set foot on, the appeal of a farmers market might also similarly be absent. Ironically, it was the suburbs where farmers markets first began popping up in the 70’s and 80’s after folks became further and further removed from their food. They initially began in university cities where educated consumers were drawn to the idea of eating locally produced food and remembering the tastes of their childhood. In a world of fast food, a local farmers market provides a slow food experience with a connection to the people and the culture behind the food.

Farmers markets may have started fifty-something years ago in the suburbs, but they continue to grow in communities all across the nation today. According to USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), from 1994 to 2019, the number of farmers markets rose from 1,755 to 8,771 in 2019. There’s now one market for every 38,000 people.

With less than 2% of our population currently living on a farm, it seems likely that the other 98% of us might still benefit from some exposure to where our food comes from. The farmer’s market is the next best thing to growing it yourself. Not only that, but a trip to the market allows you to interact with the farmer who grew that food for you, while also supporting a local business. This puts more of the food dollar back into the pockets of the farmer - not the processor, distributor, or retailer’s pocket. Per the USDA, in 2021, farmers received a record-low 14.5 cents for every dollar Americans spent on food. When you buy from your local farmers market, you are able to make sure the whole dollar ends up in the hands of the farmer.

If fresh and flavor are the name of the game, then there’s no better option than purchasing at the farmers market. Hands down, food at a farmers market has spent more time on the vine, in the ground, or on a tree, than that at a retailer. Without long trips to the retailer, and with minimal processing, food straight from the field is regularly touted to have increased levels of vitamins and minerals.

When you support local farmers markets, you’re keeping money in your local community, while having a direct connection to how your food is produced, and getting the freshest ingredients possible. With so many things being divisive in our nation today, a trip to the farmers market allows us to be united by the experience of sites, smells, and tastes of locally grown and produced food.

Katie hails from the row crops and pines of South Georgia, but now calls the hills and lakes of North Georgia home. She and her husband love to travel, eat good food, and spend time in nature surrounding their almost 200-year-old farmhouse. She loves writing about anything that connects back to the soil, sites, and souls of the South.

Katie hails from the row crops and pines of South Georgia, but now calls the hills and lakes of North Georgia home. She and her husband love to travel, eat good food, and spend time in nature surrounding their almost 200-year-old farmhouse. She loves writing about anything that connects back to the soil, sites, and souls of the South.