Farmers Markets

Sometimes I forget that 'trying to be good' isn't all work and no play. This is an incredibly important thing to remember, and keeping it in mind certainly has to be part of any attempt at 'being good.' Today marks the beginning of my local farmers markets, a time that I truly cherish. Last year I went to two markets regularly, one on Wednesday afternoons and another on Saturday mornings. These were just about perfectly spaced out through the week, so I could shop for a few days worth of produce at each. That way I wouldn't worry about things going bad, and I'd be compelled to eat whatever I bought (instead of putting off eating it for a week). Unfortunately, those markets don't start until a little later in the season. When finding their starting dates, however, I discovered three other markets nearby! Now I have Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday markets in addition to the Wednesday and Saturday ones that start later in the summer.

In terms of trying to make my actions align with my values, getting almost everything I eat from farmers markets over the summer is a pretty solid way to go. I get to support small, local, and largely organic farms, get food that isn't shipped across the country (or the world), develop relationships with my farmers (and otherwise be a participant in my community), and eat healthier all in one go! Also, everything is absolutely delicious.

Another way that this is good is that it helps me to try new things. Instead of wandering through the grocery store (or browsing the internet) looking for something new and interesting, I can just ask the people who grow the food for suggestions. Normally I'm pretty shy, but that's something that I try to work on anyways, and the farmers market is a rewarding place to try out starting a conversation with a stranger.

This post is pretty rambling and not very substantive, but I just ate a huge kale and asparagus salad, and I'm feeling pretty good.