Farmers Markets are they a once in awhile visit or a regular stop for fruits and veggies when grocery shopping!

Farmers Markets are they a once in awhile visit or a regular stop for fruits and veggies when grocery shopping

I try to stop whenever I can! Farmers markets aren't necessarily supposed to be cheaper, but all of your money goes to the farmer, instead of stores, truckers, etc.

I will show you some facts, according to the organization Grow for Food, and let me tell ya, it really opened my eyes!

· America loses two acres of farmland every minute to commercial and residential development and poor food production.

· The majority of the money spent on grocery store food goes to suppliers, processors, middlemen and marketers. Only 3.5 cents of each dollar actually goes to the farmers.

· Fruits and vegetables shipped from other states or countries can spend between 7 and 14 days in transit to your local supermarket. And within a week of harvest, natural sugars in fruits and vegetables turn to starches, plant cells shrink and produce loses its vitality.

· Many of our foods have been genetically modified or crossbred to withstand shipping. Food that has to be transported long distances is often preserved with waxes, irradiation, gases and synthetic chemicals, such as fungicides and sprout inhibitors.

· 40% of our fruit is produced overseas, even though broccoli is likely grown within 20 miles of the average American’s house. The broccoli we buy at the supermarket travels an average of 1,800 miles to get there!

· 9% of our red meat comes from foreign countries. Who wants meat that has traveled from so far away when America produces some of the best meat in the world?

· The longer a product is required to travel, the more energy and fuel it requires, and therefore the higher volume of carbon emissions it releases into the already depleting atmosphere.

Amazing huh? I know you didn't ask for all of that, but I thought it was interesting!