Farm-Fresh or Farmed Out?

Editor's Note: Atlanta INtown has been extensively covering local markets and farmers. We thought this article by Misty McNally from the Green Guide website might be of interest to you. 

Farmers markets play to the foodie in all of us, offering a delicious, one-on-one connection to fresh-picked produce, bakery goods hot out of the oven, artisanal olive oils and meat cut to order. As a bonus, they reduce long-distance shipping of groceries and the associated environmental costs. Problem is, it's not always easy to determine what's actually being sold at the farmer's market. Is it from a local farm? Organically grown? Both? Or neither?

Even the box labels can fool you. What might appear to be a crate of Florida tomatoes in an Iowa stand may actually be a container reused by a frugal and ecologically-minded farmer. Or the tomatoes might be from California—the same ones being sold at the supermarket. So how do you know the difference?

We urge you to follow the simple mantra of stop, look and listen. Soon you'll be on your way to supporting the growers and producers of your choice.

To read the rest of the article click here.