If you’re anything like me, you prefer fresh food over packaged. Â You’ll easily bite into a fresh ripe peach over a canned peach any day. Â Most people associate eating fresh, local produce with the summer and fall months as farmers markets seem to be everywhere you go.
But what do you do in the winter? Â If you go to the grocery store, you’ll see fruit and vegetables that may have traveled thousands of miles to get on the shelf. Â I checked a pint of blueberries the other day and it was from Chile! Â That’s over 5,000 miles away!
To maintain eating locally grown foods, check out your local farmers markets that are held in the winter! Yes, you read that right…there are markets you can go to allowing you to select from fresh, winter produce such as artichokes, parsnips and squashes all year round!
So how do you find them?  Click the following link from the United States Department of Agriculture to find a farmers market in your area.  It offers maps and hours of markets across the country right at the click of a mouse button!
So the next time you reach for the canned vegetables or fruit while prepping dinner, try attending an upcoming weekend farmers market for the freshest and tastiest foods out there!
Research assistance provided by Jessica Bennett
