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 | | Posted by: Green Travel | 10/3/2007 2:31 PM | When traveling, check out your local farmer's market. Instead of opting for fast food as you cross the country, or walking into a big, well known chain once you reach your destination, try grabbing lunch or breakfast at a farmer's market.
Article by - Heather Pennington
When traveling, check out your local farmer's market. Instead of opting for fast food as you cross the country, or walking into a big, well known chain once you reach your destination, try grabbing lunch or breakfast at a farmer's market. Not only will you often save money, as food is sold sans-tax, and you don't have to tip, but you will also be able to explore the local culture as you cruise through stalls of fresh fruit and local produce. If lunching on fruit alone isn't your thing, most farmers markets have vendors selling freshly made and ready to eat treats such as hand pies, quiches, turnovers, and sandwiches. Many of these booths also have a shaded place to sit down if you want to give your feet a break and get out of the sun. No sun? No worries. Numerous farmers markets, such as the Mountain View, California Sunday Farmers Market have a bad weather policy: they will only shut down when the wind and rain become too strong to be safe.
Aside from saving a few bucks on your meal, there are many green benefits to shopping at a farmer's market. All produce is fresh, local, and often organic. "Buy local" is a rallying cry for many environmental groups concerned with helping Americans become more aware of the impact their food choices have on the environment. When buying foods grown locally, consumers support small farms more likely to use organic farming techniques. Buying locally also reduces the carbon footprint of any given food - the air or truck miles necessary to transport produce from its country of origin to your table. For example, a tomato grown in the central valley of California and consumed in San Francisco has traveled an average of 300 miles, whereas a tomato grown in Chile has traveled over 5,000 miles. Often, that same Chilean tomato has been grown on an American owned farm, subsidized by the American government, shipped by a faceless corporation, and sprayed with pesticides both on the vine and in the crate to prepare it for its flight to your grocery store. By choosing the local tomato, you also choose to support the local economy, and the small farms run by people who often care more about the environment than the average shipping corporation.
From Pike's Place Market in Seattle to the Elkhart, Indiana American Farmer's Market, you should be able to find a farmer's market somewhere along your travels. It takes little more than googling the name of your city and the term "farmer's market" to find one. Almost every major city in America has at least one farmer's market, if not two, and often, small towns have farmer's markets as well. You'll get friendly service from people who really care about what they do: farming. Try striking up a conversation as you sample a peach slice and see what a local has to say. She might even throw in a free apple for your time. | | | Permalink |
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