We’re celebrating farmers, community, farmers’ markets, and you, our farmers’ market supporters this month! Farmers Market Week is officially Aug. 4-10, but we’re making merry the whole month!
As demand for local, healthy foods continues to grow, so have the direct-to-consumer opportunities for local farmers and other purveyors of quality products. Farmers’ markets support the livelihoods of more than 165,000 small to mid-sized farms and ranches, and account for more than $2 billion in revenue that goes directly to the farmer.
The farmers’ market is the only place, other than the farm itself, where California law allows farmers — or certified agricultural producers, as they are known in state law — to sell the fruits and vegetables of their labor directly to consumers. Without certified farmers markets, agricultural producers of rural California would be cut off from the consumers of urban California.
This is an important distinction — a certified farmers market assures consumers that their market purchase is brought to the farmers market from the farmers who grew, nurtured and harvested the crops. Certification means the farms have been inspected and certified and regulated by the State of California. Knowing where your food comes from and knowing it is locally grown is an important factor when consumers make their purchases. Also important is the fact that you can actually speak to the farmers who grew the fruits and vegetables, or baked the bread, or gathered the honey.
Farmers markets are also a source of revenue for the communities surrounding them, increasing foot traffic to local businesses and offering a pleasant outdoor community gathering place. There is a sense of neighborhood, respecting local community dynamics, and creating a family-oriented environment around the market.
Farmers’ markets are also a place to educate the public on eating healthy and fresh produce, eating with the seasons, and emphasizing the importance of sustaining and supporting California agriculture. It’s a place where schools bring their classes to learn about where their food comes from, a place to learn about new and interesting produce, and a place for cooking tips and recipes.
Visit your local farmers’ market this month — and throughout the year — to see old friends and meet new ones, speak directly to the people who grow our food, pick up the latest recipe, visit a nearby café, stop by a local shop or other business. Check out some of the community-oriented events such as a summer music series, a health fair, or recipe contest, or a cook-off. Pick up some of the freshest fruits, vegetables, honey, baked goods, cut flowers, grass-fed meats and fresh-caught fish when you visit. You’ll find it all at your local farmers’ market. Celebrate your local farmers’ markets with us!
Debra Morris is a promotions coordinator for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association and writes the Time Is Ripe column. Contact her at debramorris@pcfma.com.
Recipe: Savory Melon Salad
Ingredients
1 cup watermelon, cubes or balls
1 cup cantaloupe, cubes or balls
1 cup cucumber, sliced
¼ cup black olives, pitted, sliced
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 shallot, thinly sliced, macerated in vinegar with a pinch of salt
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar, to taste
Instructions
Combine watermelon and cantaloupe cubes, olives, sliced cucumber, the crumbled feta and the macerated shallots in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper; mix gently with your hands.
Source: Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association
