why farmers markets REALLY matter
Reasons to support open-aired, L.A. farmers’ markets
Since we were kids, we’ve had a love for open-aired, co-ops & farmers’ markets.
Maybe it’s because our parents grew up in Mexico, where buying fresh & direct from the source was their family’s way.
It was economical, another avenue to socialize with your neighbors & included (which we later realized as adults) a person-to-person way to verify where your food originated from… & of course, it was fresh. If you’ve ever heard our mom chat with a food vendor, you know what we mean. She asks a lot of questions & we love her for it – & as you can imagine, we do it now, too.
Regardless, for most of our life we have been aware of the “price” of our food or maybe to put it on a more positive note, the local impact we can have in being conscious food consumers.
So… that brings us back to L.A. Farmers’ Markets.
Whenever we explore new farmers’ markets, it also means we learn a little bit about the neighborhood & community we are visiting.
Whether it’s the local art scene, area architecture, or the “neighborhood vibe” – farmers’ markets often reflect the local values & culture, & are a great way to introduce yourself to somewhere you may otherwise not discover. Of course, for those visiting their local markets – it’s an easy place to sync up with local buds to catch up, grab a bite, or peruse & shop together. I mean seriously, way better than meeting at Starbucks, right?
Besides being fun hang outs in your neighborhood, they positively impact Los Angeles communities in so many different ways.
Here are a few ways:
– Farmers pick their produce & bring & sell it- it’s locally grown, delivered & sold by the same farmers. You are directly supporting them & not large grocery chains.
– There’s a huge variety of foods you can now buy at farmers’ markets. Over the years, we have bought sustainable meat, seafood, eggs, homemade bread, various cheeses, handcrafted candy, organic jams & spices. We’re definitely not chefs or even great cooks for that matter, but everything always tasted better.
– Many Los Angeles farmers markets partner with local vendors to sell their products weekly or monthly making it easy for us to find amazing new products – where do you think we’ve found some of our favorite product partners?
– Approximately 20+ Los Angeles farmer’s markets support an AMAZING program in partnership with Hunger Action Los Angeles called Market Match.
Market Match allows people to trade in their food assistance funds for double the spending money at farmer’s markets. This allows them to buy fresh vegetables, fruits, bread, etc. Supporting our markets keeps healthy food programs like this thriving.
– Come on, they’re fun! Try new foods, sample seasonal fruits & vegetables, check out local vendors, & relax. Walk, bike or take Metro to your local farmers’ market, or check out a new neighborhood – you never know what you may find!
we remind Angelenos of what “living locally” has to offer.
barrio.la finds local companies making high quality, eco-friendly goods right here in Southern California.
Los Angeles has so much going on & is alive with eclectic neighborhoods, places to see & things to do – so while we’re at it – we keep you in the know about cool things going on in your own ‘hood & the cool people making it all happen.
feel like wandering with us?
cool… ’cause that’s what we do here.
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