A few years ago I drop our garbage can size down to the smallest size possible. We usually sent it out half full so I thought lets get rid of the big one. Since that time we have bought more foods in bulk from shops like Sun Harvest and the farmers markets. The best thing besides great food, is you don't have the bulky marketing packaging,and pretty boxes we don't need.
Last weekend's trip to the farmer's market was markedly different from last week's, a sure sign that fall is on it's way. Sweet corn had been replaced by squashes in every shape and color. The green beans I had been hoping to buy and
freeze were no more, potatoes red, brown, and purple in their place.. Soon, pumpkins, mums, and apples will take over and fall will have officially arrived.
While farmers markets have existed for a long time, the trend of the market experience is clearly on the rise. Farmers markets are now an ntegral part in the urban/farm linkage and the increased awareness of the effects of organic and local farming on our personal and environmental health. According to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service there are currently 4,385 farmers markets currently operating in the United States, representing a 18 percent increase from 2004.
