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Today wraps up Kentucky Farmers Market Week, a time to shop at local market and also to reflect on and appreciate their contributions.
There are 170 farmers markets in 115 Kentucky counties, making a significant impact on their communities.
Farmers markets, or something resembling them, have been the way of obtaining food for most of human existence. It’s only in the 20th century that shipping and preservation advances have made shopping from grocery stories a common practice.
While most of us depend on shopping at grocery stores, we must remember there are local people raising and creating products here in our state and trying to make a living at it. That’s enough reason to remember to shop at farmers markets.
According to a 2017 Forbes magazine article, for every $100 spent at locally owned businesses, $68 remains in the local community. Supporting local businesses also creates jobs where you live, and shopping at your local farmers market means your food travels fewer miles from the farm to your plate. That not only allows you to pick your food at the very peak of freshness but also conserves energy and resources in the form of decreased transportation costs and reduced packaging.
But there are other reasons to support farmers markets.
The chance to talk to the people who produce the products is invaluable. Farmers are happy and eager to talk about how they run their farms and how their items are produced.
Farmers markets create an opportunity to mingle with your neighbors, too. You can meet new people and make new friends.
Produce, meat and eggs are fresh at farmers markets, a benefit to your health and to your taste buds.
Other locally made products are available, too. Such products include not only foods like baked goods and preserves, but plants, jewelry, bags and other items. The options are limited only by the imagination of local business people.
Even though it’s the last day of up Kentucky Farmers Market Week, it’s not the end of the season for farmers markets. Consider the advantages of shopping locally with local farmers and you will be pleased with the results.
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