A Dietitian's View

The energetic hustle and bustle of a farmer’s market, CoOp or CSA is incredibly exciting! Not too mention, you are directly immersed with many other health-minded individuals who may have helpful tips from their own experience. Visiting one of these places will certainly be worth your time!

The mere words on this page are unable to truly depict the rainbow of color and fresh scents of produce as you enter your local harvest venue. This is certainly a welcome event after enduring a long winter of scentless out-of-season fruits and vegetables. Go ahead and pick up fresh melon, pear, herbs, or potato for that matter, the aroma can be quite enticing.

Surely you will be introduced to new and nutritious fruits and vegetables and the excitement may even inspire you to experiment with these new flavors in your own kitchen. Have you ever seen a purple carrot? How about kohlrabi or parsnips? While these veggies may seem foreign, they are truly worth a try. Purple carrots are a dazzling addition to a fresh salad as the slices consist of an orange core with a fun purple ring! Kohlrabi is delicious roasted or diced into a fresh take on coleslaw. If parsnips are piquing your interest, try this tasty tuber mashed in with your potatoes or as a new flavor in your savory stew. There are plenty of new options for you to taste, even out of those grown right here in Michigan!

By purchasing local food directly from the farm, we are given the opportunity to feel a greater connection to our food. A chance to actually understand where our food comes from, something that truly seems to have escaped our current food relationship. When a young child is asked where potatoes come from, the answer is all too commonly McDonald's. Once we understand where our food comes from and truly listen to the farmer depicting the trials and tribulations endured to provide us with their harvest, each bite we take may begin to mean a bit more. When we vote with our fork, we are choosing to keep our hard-earned dollars right here in our own struggling community. This connection is quite unique in comparison with simply picking up the flawless produce at the supermarket.

You can look for farmer markets, CoOps, or CSAs near you by visiting Local Harvest, Eat Well Guide, or if the CSA is what you are interested in, simply ask the farmers at your farmer’s market. Though if you are unable to find the opportunity to venture out for local produce, inspiration may still be found in your supermarket where a diverse array of options awaits.

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