Produce purchased at the Castro Valley Farmers Market in August 2010 - Salsa anyone?The Castro Valley Farmers Market will be open before we know it. In an effort to increase participation and visitors to the market, a few citizens are getting together to start a blog and help the people of Castro Valley figure out how to use the market to their advantage and create healthy, locally sourced meals at home.
This season on the blog you can look forward to:
Here are a few ways that shopping at the Farmers Market affects our community.
We can be a healthier, more environmentally conscious Castro Valley! In the age of food preservatives and additives, genetically modified proteins and produce, and E. coli outbreaks, (remember that lettuce problem a few years ago?), many people are concerned about the quality and cleanliness of the foods they eat. For example, it's nearly impossible to identify all of the pesticides used to grow and transport a cluster of grapes grown in Chile to one of our local supermarkets and, there's no washing the pesticides away - it's in the grapes. By choosing foods grown locally, we have the power to control what we put into our bodies and the bodies of our families.
Eating locally helps the local economy. Farmers on average receive only 20 cents of each food dollar spent. The rest of the money you spend on food goes to transportation, processing, packaging, refrigeration and marketing. Farmers who sell food to local customers receive full payment for the food you purchase from them. Additionally, eating locally encourages the use of local farmland for farming, helping to keep development in check and preserving open space.
More visitors to the market mean more vendors and variety at future markets. The farmers market won't attract more vendors if it's not worth their time and effort to sell at the market. Please encourage your friends and neighbors to visit the farmers market. Make a visit to the market a brunch date! Either eat a delicious pastry, sausage roll, or piece of fruit at the market where you can also enjoy some live music and a seat in the sun or, stop at one of our local diners for breakfast or a cup of coffee and then take a spin by the market afterward.
What are you looking forward to seeing at the market this year? Post a comment, please!
