Greening your life isn't hard: installing solar panels on your roof and trading in your sturdy old sedan for a fancy new hybrid aren't the only ways to live cleaner. A small step in the right direction can be as simple as a trip to your local Farmer's Market.
For the unseasoned shopper, the Farmer's Market can be daunting: everyone seems to be selling the same thing, it's loud, and crowded and the overall effect is semi-organized chaos. It can also be frustrating if you head down there looking for your grocery store favorites, like bananas, only to find that no one has them.
But it doesn't take more than two visits to feel like an old pro. And the benefits of buying fresh, local, organic produce, cheese, meat, bread, wine, pasta and more, far outweigh those first few moments of awkwardness: the food tastes infinitely better, is far fresher (most of the time, it's been picked/made just hours before), and buying it supports your local economy. Not only do you know where it came from, you can feel good about the fact that it took far less time and fuel to get to you than fruits and vegetables grown outside your state - or country - would. It might take some getting used to, but learning about seasonal eating, and teaching the kids about who grew what and where, can be a great experience for the whole family.
For tips on how to shop smart and your next - or first! - trip to the Farmer's Market, visit WannaVeg.com. And happy shopping!
