The Farmer's Market

One of the things I love most about the warmer months is the ability to purchase fresh produce locally.  Now, for those of you out there who like to debate the eating organically vs. eating locally and which is better, I always argue that local is the way to go.  The energy used to bring the food to the market is substantially less that if you were to purchase an organic item that was grown in California, and also, because there was less travel time, local food items have a higher nutritional value because they were picked only hours before you go to the market.

Now that I'm off my "buy local" soapbox, I awoke this morning with the intention to go to the local farmer's market in Cathedral Square.  So, I hopped on my bike and made the ride downtown.  I really had a craving to purchase some veggies, so I was happy to see that green beans and snap peas were in season.  In addition, one stand was selling cherries, so naturally I had to buy some (nothing beats Michigan cherries, but they suffice).  In addition to the produce stands there were some bakery stands selling bread and other goods and there was even a stand selling homemade pasta.  You really could get all your shopping done in one trip.  And to relieve your stress afterward, you could make your way to the massage therapy stand.  I'm pretty sure there's no happy ending there, but I think it still would be a nice treat.  

So, all in all, it was a successful first trip to the market, and gave me a great starting point for the rest of the grocery shopping I completed today.  And one final thought... not only are farmer's markets a smart choice for you nutritionally, they are also a great way to support the local economy.