It’s safe to say I love farmer’s markets, everything about them. I was delighted to find that Raleigh has three markets, one operating year round. I like the sights of all the goods, the smells of the plants and flowers, and of course I like the variety of goods for sale; there’s way more than just fruits and veggies.
At the farmers market you find an amazing array of produce that you don’t see in your average supermarket: red carrots, a rainbow of heirloom tomatoes, purple cauliflower, stinging nettles, green garlic, watermelon radishes, quail eggs, maitake mushrooms, and much, much more. It is a wonderful opportunity to savor the biodiversity of our community.
I also love that markets are so kid friendly. I try to go to the grocery store alone as often as I can, so as to avoid boredom, and items mysteriously appearing in my basket. But the market is different; I never go alone. All three Raleigh farmer’s markets have activities for the kids each opening day, but I find that the open air space, hustle and bustle of shoppers, conversations with farmers, and the abundance of locally sourced items packaged so differently from what kids are used to seeing in the stores, is more than enough to keep them entertained while parents shop. Not to mention, bringing the kids along is a great opportunity to sneak in a little education about nutrition and get them more interested in the food they eat. I firmly believe that if you start healthy you stay healthy.
Below is a short video highlighting the Raleigh State Farmers Market.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq-iFxxty4o