Farmers Markets are slowly taking hold in most area’s of our country. This, due to the influx of Americans that are looking for a healthier lifestyle. They know that if they truly want fresh produce, this is the place to find it.

The next time you’re in the produce section at your local supermarket, take a look at the sticker located on the side of the particular piece of produce. This sticker will tell you what country this vegetable was grown in. You’ll see Chile, Mexico, Venezuela, USA, and so on. I hope most of us are buying the USA products, but I too realilize that if I want tomatoes in February, that our country can’t supply enough “Green House” tomatoes to fill that order. But, have you ever contemplated just what it takes to get that produce to your store? How far away is Venezuela? Where in the USA, was this grown? Or, even how much fuel was used to transport this product?

I have over 19 years experience in the transportation industry, and currently drive a new 2012 tractor-trailer. These trucks get, at best 8 mpg, and when you factor in the amount of miles it takes to transport this food, the amount of fuel it takes is staggering. For instance, if we pickup a load of apples in Yakima Washington, and we deliver them to Abilene Texas, this load will require driving 1770 miles, and if we average 7mpg, we will burn about 253 gallons of diesel. This is just for one truck load of produce hauled. Now the apples are sorted at the distribution center, and then sent out to the different stores. This process takes well over a week, and sometimes up to 2 weeks, before you ever see the produce on your store shelves.

There are only a few ways that they are able to do this. It’s all in slowing the ripening process. Besides lowering of the temperature, the next way is to not let the produce mature on the vine. This gives the shippers extra time to move the produce across the country without it spoiling. They also remove the oxygen from around the fruit, for long term storage. This basically stops the ripening process in its tracks. This is how we can get apples in middle of March. It’s no wonder, the produce at the Supermarkets are lacking in flavor, and the flavor comes from letting the produce ripen on the vine. Now just think, if this produce is coming from another country, what kind of processes is required ship it to your local store. The color of banana’s that come off the ship at Galveston Bay, looks nothing like what you see on the store shelf.

This is where your local farmers market comes into play. When we sell our produce at our local farmers market in Abilene, our produce is harvested the day before the sale. This means, that you will truly taste, what that vegetable is supposed to taste like. Buying “Local”, stands for exactly that, local. Our produce doesn’t have to cross state lines, or ever see the inside of a food warehouse. It travels only 15 miles to the market. The only people touching your food are,….well….. Us, your Farmers! I don’t know about you, but just that statement alone would make me want to get on the internet, and find me my own Local Farmer!

Yes, buying your food from a local farmers market may mean that your not going to find your tomatoes in February, but just think, if we would start to eat the foods that are available, while they are “In Season”, we would be helping our local communities thrive, and get back to the way, I believe, God intended us to eat, seasonally. Personally, I do enjoy having my apples available to me all season, but that’s what canning and freezing is all about. In the so called, “Old Days”, the family would get together and “can” their harvest for the winter months. Wow, families would actually spend time together, doing activities and communicating with one another! Well, that’s a topic for another time. A great place to find a “Local Farmer” is at www.LocalHarvest.org.

Since all of us have to eat, why don’t we all find ourselves a “Local Farmer” in our neighborhood, and let’s turn our Farmers Market’s into the new Supermarkets!

Mathew Valdez - Cross Roads Ranch

Support Local Agriculture - Keep America Growing