Imagine a place where you could buy the freshest produce, learn how it was grown, support your community and provide your children with a fun and educational shopping experience. Look no further than your local Farmers Market!
Farmers markets have a magical quality that brings families and communities together; farm fresh produce, knowledgeable farmers, and a relaxed outdoor feeling are just some of the benefits you’ll enjoy!
Here are 4 reasons to take your family to the farmers market:
1. Aside from growing your own produce, you won’t find it any fresher than at a farmers market! The colorful produce is grown locally and picked when perfectly ripened and full of nutrients. This means it will look, smell and taste fantastic…experiencing produce at its best is great when you are introducing them to your children! No one likes soggy old produce!
2. You have an opportunity to talk to the people that grow your food! Farmers are a fantastic source of information and some have a favorite recipe or two to share! Your children can come up with a few questions for them such as: “what vegetable grows the fastest” or “how do you know when carrots are ready to be picked”? Connecting your children with the foods they eat and the people who grow it is an important step in teaching them how to make smart food choices for themselves.
3. You are making an earth friendly choice when purchasing produce grown in your area. Buying local produce reduces transportation pollution and costs. Choosing to buy locally grown produce is healthier for you and the planet! It’s also a great way to support the hard working farmers in your area. Talk about a win-win situation for all!
4. It’s a wonderful hands-on learning adventure for your children. Give them a bag and start them on a scavenger hunt to find a rainbow of colorful fruits and veggies! They’ll have fun tracking down a red fruit, an orange vegetable and so on! Let them help you select and purchase the produce. The more you involve your children in selecting, preparing and cooking produce the more comfortable and willing they’ll be to eat it!
My family looks forward to our weekly trips to the farmers market where we see familiar friendly faces, sample new produce and come home with bags full of beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables!
Happy Healthy Eating,
Kia
Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Kia is passionate about creating tools that help parents raise healthy kids!
But like most things practice makes progress! I’m sure one day she’ll be chopping and dicing like a pro! Learning how to cook and how to use kitchen gear is such a valuable skill to pass on to our kids!
