The Farmers' Market

Spring flowers at the farmers' market

Yesterday was the opening day of the season for my neighborhood's greenmarket. I feel blessed to live in a community with one (within walking distance!) and having this market makes me love my neighborhood even more. It's wonderful to have access to meats and produce directly from local farmers. Fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, bread, local honey, flowers, herbs, wine, and even yarn. It's not as big as some of the other Greenmarkets in NYC, but this one suits me just fine. Some of the things that I can get at my local farmers' market are just so much better than anything I can find elsewhere. Anywhere. Every weekend, I look forward to grabbing a couple of shopping totes and heading over to see what's available.

Bunches of Swiss chard

How does this relate to the Made in America Movement, you might ask? Well, made in USA extends to my local community as well. Buy American, sure, but also buy from New York State, from NYC. Support local farms. Support small businesses that provide a good product/service to my community. Support companies that take pride in creating a quality product. Support farmers who are ethical in their practices. Support people who are about healthy choices and real food. Supporting my neighborhood farmers' market does all of that and then some.

Some images of just a few of things found at my farmers' market:

Wool in a rainbow of colors, made in Upstate NY

Apples, apples, and more apples

Mmmm, bacon

Bread

Cider and juices

Honey and honey products

Award-winning goat and cow's milk soft cheeses

P.S. I'm testing out a new app called Farmstand. It's social networking, farmers' market style. You can post pictures of your farmer's market, items you've purchased, and check out what everyone is loving. Does anyone use this app?