The wind on your face, the sun on your skin, you talk with a local farmer about the size and taste of this year’s harvest of tomatoes, as you pop a slice in your mouth. After tasting several different varieties, you choose your favorite one, walking away with a great memory of the farmer in your mind.

Or…You stand shivering in the produce section at you local mega-mart your eyes begin to glaze over from the halogen lights and the neon-colored cardboard boxes containing produce claiming to be choice food products? You decide on the one with the least amount of additives and make you way to the self-check-out-line, excited to get in your car and out of the supermarket.

Clearly, most of us would agree that the first scenario, at the local farmer’s market, is much more appealing than a trip to a big chain grocery store. But what, besides the aesthetic factor, are some of the other benefits of supporting your local farmers market? Here are ten reasons to shop at your local farmers market.

1. Buying Locally

Buying from you local farmer allows you to support local agriculture. This means that the food you are eating comes from nearby and does not require us to waste lots of energy and gas to ship the food half-way around the world. You are eating food in your own environment, where it has perfectly-created nutrients for your specific climate and region.

2. Cheaper Fruits and Veggies

You can find a variety of fresh produce at more affordable prices than in a supermarket.

There are also many famers that carry products that are technically “organic” (as this is a costly and often beurocratic-heavy process), but have many low-priced foods that are pesticide and herbicide free. The advantage at a farmers market is that you can actually talk to the farmer, learn about their methods and then deicide for yourself and in most cases they will allow you to come and visit their farm.

3. Supporting Your Local Economy & Farmers

You are supporting human beings and the local economy, not massive agribusiness or food conglomerates. Not only will you money be staying in your area, but you will happily please the farmer that worked to grow that food. Your belly will remember the farmer’s smile as they handed you that juicy tomato.

4. Eat Seasonally

By shopping at the local farmers market you will eat seasonally, fresh and ripe. This is another great way to increase your overall health. Supermarkets offer too much variety and the food is picked before it has ripened decreasing the vitality.

5. Safer Foods

Food from your local farmers market is generally sager. Remember the recent outbreaks of E.coli in bagged spinach? These things happen mostly in large industrial settings where business-men work to mass produce food, preserve it and bag it in mass amounts.

6. Fresher Fruits and Veggies

The food from you local farmers market is quite frankly fresher. Because it was grown locally, there is a good chance that the the tomato you buy from the farmer was picked a few days ago. This is virtually impossible in a big supermarket.

7. Great Variety

There is usually an amazing variety of fruits and veggies at your local farmer market.

Each farmer may have his own method for growing tomatoes or peppers. This is something that never happens at a grocery store.

8. Better Taste

There is no doubt that locally-grown foods just simply taste better. You will never be able to ear a carrot form the grocery store again!

9. It’s Healthy!

There is just no way around it eating fresh, locally-grown fruits and veggies are great for your health.

Buy yourself some local honey, which is sold at the farmers markets. It has just the right components for allergy prevention in your neck of the woods, not to mention’s its tasty!

10. Most Importantly- It’s Fun!

As stated in the beginning, farmers markets are just plain fun for the whole family. Meeting you local community is an excellent way to feel connected to the work around you, increasing health for body, mind and spirit.

10 Reasons to Buy Your Fruits and Veggies at Your Local Farmers Market