Why Buy Fresh?

There are many great reasons to buy fresh foods from your local farmers' markets, but we all know what the best one is: Fresh food tastes better! For instance, a tomato from the farmers' market really tastes like a tomato; whereas tomatoes from the supermarket often taste like watered-down versions of the real thing.

"Fresh" is the key word here, people. At your farmers' market you'll find food that has been grown locally, as opposed to packed up and shipped over the course of days from other parts of the country. The sooner you buy farm-fresh produce after the harvest, the more nutrients you and your family will have the opportunity to absorb.

At the farmers' market you'll also find fruits and veggies that are seasonal, which means that the farmers are harvesting them at the peak of their natural season and the height of their taste. Another benefit to shopping for produce by seasonality is that you get variety built into your shopping list because you're not choosing the same old thing available to you at the supermarket all the time.

Speaking of variety, local farmers often feature more varieties of individual types of produce than the supermarket. You'll probably find more kinds of greens rarer types of heirloom fruits and vegetables, as well as some other things you don't usually see in the mass-produced aisles of the supermarket, like homemade cheeses, honeys, granolas, jams, and soaps.

Sure, the farmers' market may not be as easy as the one-stop shopping at your supermarket, but it will provide you with the freshest and most delicious produce. In addition, by supporting local farmers, you can help revitalize rural communities, allowing small farms to stay in business and continue to create an alternative venue for organic produce and other foods that are not genetically modified. So do a little research and find the local farmers' markets near you — they're popping up all over the place in both the city and the country!

JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY
Backyard GourmandsYou can also use your local farmers as resources for recipes, food preparation ideas, snack suggestions, and gardening advice. They have a real passion for what they do, and they're usually generous when it comes to offering their expertise on healthy eating and living. Go to: www.jillianmichaels.com for more tips.