This week on the blog, we have a guest writer, Nora Chovanec. She is Director of Marketing & Agriculture at Texas Farmers Market. In the piece below, she dives into why shopping at farmers' markets is important, fun, and vital for the community. Check it out and get to the farmers' market(s) this weekend! 

Gorgeous day at the Mueller market. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

With so many different ways to grocery shop these days, it can be hard to know where to begin. Do I visit the grocery store, receive a food delivery service, order off Amazon, sign up for a CSA or visit my local farmers’ market? While all of these avenues have benefits and drawbacks, as someone who has been shopping with my momma at farmers’ markets since I could barely walk and now helps run Texas Farmers’ Markets in Austin, I’m here to make a case for why the farmers’ market should be your go-to spot for weekly staples! As my friends can all attest, I have so many reasons for why you should shop at a farmers’ market, but here are just a few to whet your appetite:

• The produce options are out of this world! Think about the fact that when you go to the grocery store you buy food from a shelf that usually says something like “tomatoes” and you have a couple of different options and all the tomatoes look perfectly round and blemish free. But have you ever seen a tomato grow in a garden? Very rarely does a tomato found at the store look like one pulled from a vine. And that is because grocery store tomatoes varietals are often selected to be good for transport and long shelf life, not flavor. When you shop at the farmers’ market our farmers are more focused on delicious flavor, unique options, optimal nutrition and what types grow well in central Texas. The next time you are wondering exactly how different veggies are from the farmers’ market versus the store, do a taste test. Buy a bunch of carrots from the store and one from the market and see for yourself. You will never want to buy a carrot without a leafy top ever again!

Tomatoes freshly picked. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

• You are investing your money in the local economy! Studies have shown that for every dollar spent at the farmers’ market, twice as much economic activity is generated within the region. So that means more jobs for farmers and less money in the pockets of agribusiness and GMO food conglomerates. Doesn’t it just feel better to know your buying habits are helping send your farmer friend’s kid to college instead of putting more money in the pocket of a CEO?
• The produce is fresh, fresh, fresh! Almost everything you buy at the farmers’ market was picked that day or the day before in order to retain the perfect ripeness and flavor. Farmers’ can’t afford to store their harvest for long on the farm, so you are ensured that whatever you buy at market is going to be peak freshness to enjoy at home. On average, the produce you buy at the grocery store is stored for at least a week, sometimes up to a year, and can come from anywhere in the world. Who wants a nine month old carrot from California on their dinner plate? I surely don’t!

Picking up from market. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

• Sustainability is key! At Texas Farmers’ Market, we have a strict rule that farmers’ and ranchers be completely transparent with their growing practices. We do farm inspections of every vendor to make sure that our farmers are growing what they are selling at the market. That means, if a farm is certified organic (like Johnson’s Backyard Garden!), we check their papers. If a farm promotes themselves as using “sustainable practices”, we collect detailed information about what they put into their soil and make sure that chemical pesticides and herbicides are not a part of their practices. You will not find greenwashing over here, folks. Have a question about a farmer’s growing practices? You can ask them in person instead of trying to figure out a label full of fancy marketing speak. And let me tell you, farmers love talking about their practices! They are proud of the work they do and want to share it with you. Our farmers know that taking good care of the land and their ecosystem is taking care of their business, their customers and our planet, all at the same time.

Market scene. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

• Seasonality is special! While it can be very convenient to be able to buy blackberries year-round in Texas, the truth is that blackberries bought in December have either been stored for months or shipped from far, far away. Both of those things mean your berry is going to have very little flavor and a very big impact on the environment. If you shop with the seasons, you are guaranteed to not only have flavorful, nutritious produce, but excitement every time you visit at the farmers’ market. Trust me, when your favorite items are back into season, it will feel like your birthday every month of the year. In Texas we are lucky that we have two growing seasons, so we can keep our farmers’ markets full of seasonal produce year-round. That means you will never find a banana at Texas Farmers’ Market, but you will find ripe, sweet strawberries in spring and the tastiest melons in the summer.
• Shopping at the Farmers’ Market is fun! When you visit the farmers’ market you can simply shop for what you need and go home, or you can bring a friend, have a snack, chat with a friendly farmer, listen to some live music and linger a while. Farmers’ market people know that shopping at the market is a social affair and that food just doesn’t taste as good when it is delivered to your doorstep with the click of a button. Need a mid-week pick me up after staring at a computer for three days? Why not plan an after-work happy hour with your friends at Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller on Wednesday nights 5-8pm! Hump day just got a lot better now that you can hang by the lake and take home some tasty produce to get you through the rest of the week.

Gorgeous Mueller Farmers' Market. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

But don’t just take my word for it, determine for yourself if these reasons to shop at the farmers’ market ring true. Visit us at Texas Farmers’ Market at Lakeline Saturdays 9am-1pm and Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller on Wednesdays 5-8pm and Sundays 10am-2pm. Hope to see you at the markets!