May has finally arrived which means it's time for the first Downtown Farmers' Market in Des Moines. I have really been missing San Francisco this past winter. I miss many things about California, but one of the biggest is the year round farmers' markets in the Bay Area. It made it so easy to get local produce all year long. Now that we are back in Iowa, I have been patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) waiting for spring to come so that I can shop at the farmers' market again. Before I moved back, I had heard good things about the Downtown market and I was pleasantly surprised last summer when I finally had the chance to visit it myself. It was much bigger than I expected! We shopped at the market almost every weekend last year and bought the majority of our produce there. This year we are members of the Blue Gate Farm CSA and will be getting a weekly box of produce from them in addition to the produce that we are growing in our own garden. I suspect that we won't be buying as much from the market this year because we will be getting so much from the CSA & our garden, but I still plan to visit on a regular basis to buy what I am not getting from our other sources.
Farmers markets are one of the easiest ways to buy local produce. It requires minimal commitment- you are only investing the time to visit the market & you only buy what looks good to you that day. For those who are just getting started in buying local- the farmers' market is a good first step. You don't have to invest a lot of money up front like with a CSA program or a garden. The great thing about the farmers' market is that you get to meet the wonderful people who grew the produce. You get a chance to get to know them and ask questions about how they farm. The best part is the incredibly fresh produce- some fruits and vegetables are picked just hours before you buy it- which means it tastes great and has more vitamins compared to produce that you find in the store that is weeks old.
If you would like more information about the Downtown Farmers' Market, check out their
website. It has great info about what's happening at the market and what is in season. The market is every Saturday (rain or shine or snow!) May 1st through October 30th, 2010 from 7 am to noon at Historic Court District in downtown Des Moines. Hope to see you there!
