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August 1, 2007
by Sarah Brosier
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- When consumers buy directly from farmers, the entire community benefits. Buying
local produce develops connections between consumers and farmers, and both become
more aware of each other’s desires and concerns. Supporting local farmers also maintains
the rural character of our community and contributes to our economy seven times
for each dollar spent.
- Freshness is a key ingredient in the most nutritious and best tasting produce. Getting
children to eat their quota of fruits and vegetable is much easier if the food is
full of flavor and tastes good. Another way to encourage children to eat fresh fruits
and vegetables is to include them in the process of picking out the produce and
experimenting with different varieties. When I see kids at the Farmers Market with
raspberry juice on their chin, I know they will be lifelong raspberry eaters. It
becomes an adventure instead of drudgery. Insisting on the best possible produce
will only enforce in children’s minds the importance of a nutritious diet.
- Food safety is an increasing concern. The over-use of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides,
antibiotics, and hormones in commercial food production is leaving toxic residues
in our food and soils. The liberal use of chemicals in processing food is another
motivation to know who produced the food you eat and how it was produced. Even though
we see the happy farm picture on the package we buy at the store, do we really know
the conditions and path that food took to arrive on our dinner plate? Knowing the
growers by their first names and understanding their food production practices is
possible when you buy local food.
- Transportation and packaging adds costs. Cheap food can cost us more than we realize
when food miles are translated into environmental impact. The highest greenhouse
emissions, pollution, and fuel costs are for foods that travel long distances by
air or in refrigerated trucks. Weight and distance is a huge factor in the financial
and environmental costs of transporting food. The price of food shipped from another
part of the country or world is far more than the dollars you pay at the checkout
counter.
Would you like to reduce air pollution, recycle your money into your community,
support family farmers and enjoy food that tastes better and is more nutritious
than what you can buy at the supermarket? Easy! Eat more locally produced food.
The Kuna Farmer Market features great local produce. This week look for sweet corn,
pickling cucumbers, peaches, and nectarines. Watch for the Farmers Market tractor
and trailer in the Kuna Days parade.
Market hours are from 9 am to 12 noon every Saturday through October 27. The location
is at Sandstone Plaza at the west end of Main Street in downtown Kuna.
For more information please contact Cheryl McCord at 922-5113 or visit the website
at www.KunaFarmersMarket.com.
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