With summer just around the corner, farmers' markets are opening up for the season all over the country. With a fresh supply of locally grown produce and other specialty foods, farmers' markets offer items that can be hard to find at other times of the year, and you can feel good knowing you're supporting small family farms.
The first link below will take you to LocalHarvest.org. It has a searchable database of farmers' markets, family farms and other sources of sustainably grown food, which offer produce, grass-fed meats and other foods.
Farmers, market managers or owners of businesses related to locally grown food are invited to add your listing, at no charge, to their directory.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also has a thorough collection of U.S. farmers' markets. You can use the link below to search for farmers' markets in your area by state and city.
Without question, locally grown organic produce will give you the most nutritional value. It is going to be more flavorful and fresher -- and therefore full of more nutrients -- than produce that has first been shipped across the country, then been sitting in storage bins for who knows how long.
At most farmers' markets, the produce has been picked the day before, or even that morning, so perhaps the only way to get fresher produce would be to grow it yourself.
The other major benefit to shopping at farmers' markets is knowing you are supporting small, family-owned farms. Family farms are increasingly being replaced by corporate-owned entities, so they can use all the support they can get.
If you are looking for organic foods, be aware that not all food at farmers' markets will be organic (though much of it often is).
However, if you have a choice between fresh conventionally grown produce from the market, or older, wilted organic produce from a grocery store, you're better off choosing the former (just give it a thorough washing to remove any pesticides).
Many people ask where they can find organic produce at a reasonable price, and farmers' markets are an ideal place. Eventually, I would like this site to help connect people with better and less expensive sources of nutrition.
In the meantime, take advantage of the seasonal produce available in your area, and check out this article on how to find reasonably priced organic foods.