If there is a local farmer’s market near you, it is certainly worth a gander to. I keep driving past the one closest to me everyday on my way to work, and I made the conscious decision and effort to check it out today. And I am glad I sure did! Farmer’s markets  range in size. The one I went to, the Parkdale Market in Westboro, was on the smaller side, but it was busting in size with all of the color and energy from the flowers and plants! Beneath the white canopy tents, stood approximately 25 vendors with their horticultural treasures for people to pick up and take home. The majority of the vendors  were selling mostly flowers and I only spotted one vendor with fresh produce.

I wanted to bring home some flowers, but my roommate loudly proclaimed that I was not allowed to since she would probably end up taking care of them. I am known to be a bit of a plant killer.  Not intentionally, I just forget to change the water or to move it into the sunlight during the day. My lovely roommate has kindly helped my previous plants live a little longer with her supervision.

In the next few weeks I would like to explore another Farmer’s Market with produce. I was hoping to bring home some fresh berries, but came home empty handed today.  Check out the following link to find the Farmer’s Market closest to you. Be warned that some of them have some wonky hours, like only open on Wednesday from 3pm to 7pm.: http://www.farmersmarketsontario.com/MarketsV2.cfm?uSortOrder=City.  If you live in the South Western Ontario area, a great Farmer’s Market to check out is the St. Jacob’s one. I remember making trips there with my parents when I was younger.

To me, it feels good to shop local and support the nearby farmers and businesses. You know where your produce is coming from, and can put a face to the name of who grew and harvested the produce.  The food is fresher, usually in better condition, and has an extra ounce of TLC.  Sometimes I wonder what kind of injections the  imported strawberries have been given when I see them at the grocery store as they are often quite abnormally large and mutant-like.  Take a moment and think about what you buy and where you get it from, and consider a Farmer’s Market next time.