Farmers markets spearhead changing food choices
Summer is in full swing, and that means our farmers markets and farm stands are loaded up with fresh-from-the-field local corn, peaches, cantaloupes and tomatoes, not to mention green beans and even potatoes, all in prime season. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts and carrots are up next, say officials at the popular Rehoboth Beach Farmers Market.
The Cape Region has long had many farm stands, and now we also have at least one farmers market every day of the week, often featuring food demonstrations and entertainment. With 23 markets statewide, farmers markets appear ready to set a new sales record this year, topping last year’s record $2.6 million in sales.
The state Department of Agriculture says farmers markets sales have doubled in just the last five years, with fresh produce accounting for nearly 60 percent of sales, and items such as meats, cheeses, jellies, breads, salsa, eggs and honey rounding out total sales.
The growth in farmers markets parallels rising trends nationwide. Consumers are choosing fresh, locally grown produce, meats and dairy products, and it doesn’t stop there. Restaurants, both locally and across the nation, are rediscovering and featuring more locally sourced products than ever, even citing local farms and producers on the menu.
More and more consumers not only want to eat fresher food; they also want to know who’s raising their food and how it is farmed or manufactured.
Consumers who see food producers each week at farmers markets and farm stands have a chance to learn about their food, strengthening the kind of community bonds that are easily lost in a world where people move frequently and rely more than ever before on electronic communication.
Does all this mean we’re ready to give up canned and frozen products or produce flown in from Chile? Probably not any time soon. But farmers markets and stands that offer us the freshest food available are reawakening an appreciation for who produces our food, when it’s in season, how to prepare it and when it will taste best.
It’s a back-to-the-future movement, and we in the Cape Region have ringside seats.
