Buy Local! (Link Heavy)

So my family went to our very first farmers market today and we LOVED it! It is a very fun atmosphere with people, flowers, and of course fresh vegetables. Holland is blessed to have a few farmers markets throughout the week. The market we went to today is every Wednesday and Saturday. There is also another farmers market starting up this year that will be held on Fridays at the Ottawa County Fair Grounds.

So why should you go to a local farmers market over the supermarket? Think about this: I bought 3 hour old asparagus that was organically grown , that means no gmo's (genetically modified organisms), no pesticides, and no chemical fertilizer. When you buy asparagus (or any produce from the store) it is around a week old and could have come from across the country, even across the ocean! Store bought produce is most likely a product of a gmo (don't want gmo's and have an iPhone? there is an app for that! Get it here.) and has been sprayed with nasty pesticides and grown using chemical fertilizer (unless labeled as certified organic from the USDA). I can talk to the person that grew my food, while many of the BIG produce companies are owned by a rich greedy person that you will never ever talk to. There are many other reasons you should go to the farmers market, like supporting local business, better tasting food, better on the environment, great selection, and still other reasons.

What's On The Menu

Produce is a big part of the farmers market but it is by far not the only thing there. My family also picked up organic plants for our garden, free range chicken breast (your chicken), and grass grazing beef (your beef).

There is also cheese, flowers, honey, natural maple syrup, granola, bread, furniture, lawn and garden supplies, arts and crafts, and many other items.

Not Every Vendor Is Created Equal

Farmers market does not mean organic. At our market we have 4 or 5 organic vendors. These are the only vendors we will buy our produce or meat from. The fact that the other vendors are not organic does not mean they are "bad". They are still local, they most likely do not practice "factory farming" all and all their produce is healthier and taste better then the store bought produce. But if you want your produce and plants to be free of gmo's, pesticides, and chemical fertilizer be sure to look for organic vendors.

I'll leave you with some pics from our first trip to the farmers market. Thanks for reading and God bless!

~Matt

Fresh Free Range Chickens @ http://www.ottoschicken.com/

Some fresh 3 hour old organic produce from Eaters Guild

Certified Organic Produce @ http://eatersguild.com/

Fat Blossom Farm Organic Garden Plants

Certified Food and Flowers @ http://fatblossom.com/Site/Home_.html