From the Farm to the Table....

When I was doing my field placement in Early childhood education , As a part of the feild trip, I was supposed to take the kids to the Farmer's Market. Before I take them, I was briefing them about, what they can expect to see there. I asked a child, where do we get fruits and vegetables from??Quickly the answer went ," from the grocery store". I was taken by surprise, then I realised, most of the students didn't know the fact, that the fruits and vegetables come from the plants. Farmer's market is a good place to educate the children about the food, where it comes from? what is the nutrition? So, They develop interest in the good food that the nature is offering.

The experience of walking around the farmer's market itself is quite different, apart from getting the freshest fruits and vegetables, talking to the farmers about their produce, how do they grow, how long it takes for that particular vegetable to come to the yeild, how to use, how to preserve, what is in season, cannot be matched with the grocery store shopping experience. You never know what interesting fruit or vegetable you might find. Though, it is not beautifully packed, sealed , labelled or cleaned for display, it's worth a visit.

Here is some info ( good and bad) about farmers market:

Good:

1. You will get the freshest of produce, straight from the farm.

2. No middle men involved and no storing in the shelves for longer time.

2. You can find some new, locally grown fruits and vegetables you never tried before.

Bad:

1. It is more expensive than the grocery store.

2. Only cash, No credit cards and bank cards can be used.( except in some cases)

3. You will find the produce with dirt, unclean.

Find out a closest Farmer's market near you, and make a trip to bring the food, from the farm to your table.

Happy cooking!