Excerpted from Cold Cereal & Toast
Jump to the Original »

This past Sunday marked the second week I volunteered at the Skippack Farmers’ Market, collecting email addresses for the weekly newsletter and handing out recipes with a seasonal produce guide. By virtue of the word “volunteer,” I do not expect anything in return.

But I’ve found that giving a few hours on a Sunday morning, food and knowledge are your bounty.  I come home with complimentary fresh olive bread from St. Peters Bakery, cheese from Goot Essa, and discounted first-of-the-season apples and white peaches from Stauffer’s Fruit Farm.  I learn that lettuce doesn’t like hot weather, and this summer has been challenging for the raspberry harvest — cooked by the sun before they’ve had a chance to be picked.

While we are working to grow the Skippack market, there’s been a noted boom in the number of farmers’ markets across the country, as well as the number of advocates and organizations rallying to support family farms and the sales channels they rely on.  A recent Civil Eats article tackles a report published by Farm Aid, “Rebuilding America’s Economy with Family-Farm Centered Food Systems” that suggests farmers may be the cornerstone to an economic upturn –  “A dollar spent at a farmers market can generate $2.80 for the community’s economy.”  The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas Vilsack, recently proclaimed the week of August 1-7 “National Farmers Market Week” in recognition of the numerous benefits of farmers’ markets, such as increasing access to healthful foods, developing local and regional food systems, and reviving communities.  Now we just need policy makers to take heed; perhaps dedicate staff to manage and grow markets and/or provide incentives, grants and subsidies to create and sustain farmers’ markets in certain areas.

Read the full story>>