Why Shop at a Farmers Market?

One of the best ways to help the environment, support your community, and provide for your family healthy, fresh, organic food is to buy local and buy in season! How? By visiting the local farmers markets!

Redondo Beach has two farmers markets, and both are located in South Redondo. On Thursdays from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., the at that features dozens of vendors that sell produce, meats, cakes, prepared food and more. Riviera Village hosts its own on Fridays from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Avenue I between Catalina Avenue and the Esplanade.

What is a farmers market?

A place where local farmers or growers gather to sell their goods directly to the public. It can be held indoors, outside, only during certain months, or year-round. Goods can include fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, herbs, baked goods, jams, flowers, and other homemade or hand-crafted items.

Along similar lines, you can also obtain local goods from farm stands, natural foods co-ops, pick-your-own farms, natural foods stores, and farm CSA (community supported agriculture) programs. (See here and the resources below for more information.)

Why shop at farmers markets?

• You’re investing in and strengthening the economy of your community.
• You’re reducing environmental impact (less transportation costs and pollution, little to no packaging, and you’re cutting out the “middlemen”).
• The food is fresh (often picked that very day), grown with minimal intervention, nutritious and delicious.
• You’re helping to preserve local farms and farmland.
• You should know your food (where it’s from, who grew it, and how).
• You will find a large selection and unique varieties of foods not found in supermarkets.
• Farmers markets are (generally) more affordable and/or of higher quality than supermarkets (it’s difficult to compare local food with supermarket food in terms of prices alone—you need to consider quality, nutrient availability, environmental impact, and growing, processing and storing methods).
• It is a great learning experience for you and your family (an opportunity to talk to the farmers, learn new recipes or techniques, and try new foods)

Tips for shopping at farmers markets:

• Go early for best selection
• Go (or stay) late for the best deals (you can sometimes get discounts on whatever is remaining)
• Bring cash and coin (just in case credit or debit cards are not accepted)
• Bring your own sturdy, reusable bags
• Take the time to walk around and see what’s available before making any purchases
• Talk to the farmers/vendors--be sure to ask if you have any questions or need advice
• Bring a cooler if you plan on buying meat, dairy, or other products that require cool temperatures
• Buy in bulk if you find something you love and at a good price--you can always preserve through canning, drying, or freezing (remember that most goods are seasonal so what’s there one week might not be there the next)
• Be open-minded in terms of your meal-planning (avoid going to markets with too many specific meals in mind; try new foods, new recipes, or new cooking techniques based on what you discover)

Resources

• Localharvest.org - one of the best resources available online for finding local foods.
• Eatwild.com - a great resource for finding local grass-fed food including meat and poultry.
• Farmfresh.org - search for local farms, stands, markets, CSAs, pick-your-own farms and more.
• Foodnews.org - information about pesticides in foods from EWG and to download a free “Shopper’s Guide To Pesticides”