Why you should go to your local farmer’s market

Locally sourced produce can be found every Sunday morning at the Laguna Niguel Farmers Market. Cyrena Guyot | Lariat.

Farmer’s markets in the south OC area

Going to your local farmer’s market once a week can be a great way to be kind to your environment, your community, your body and your soul. Eating locally grown food can be a crucial component for your health, predominantly because it is fresher.

Fruits and veggies actually begin to lose some of their most important nutrients 24 hours after they are picked. So imagine you’re buying a peach, for example, that was shipped to California all the way from Georgia.

That peach traveled for about a week to get to your grocery store as opposed to buying an organic peach that was picked yesterday at your local farmer’s market. Fresh fruit like this is packed with nutritional value and has a much richer flavor.

Not only is buying from the farmer’s market-friendly to your body, but it is beneficial to your community and the ecosystem. These markets are key components in rebuilding local food economies.

Remember that peach I mentioned before? In addition to that peach having traveled across the country, causing it to lose many of its nutrients, it also took part in harming the environment.

According to FoodPrint, a major disadvantage of eating imported fruit is that it requires much more packaging than fresh fruit, which most consumers do not recycle. When purchasing locally grown food and supporting local farms, you are also helping reduce dependence on fossil fuels, decrease air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

I honestly look forward to going to my farmer’s market every Sunday morning with my family. It brings us together, as well as our community, to relax, take our time, shop and make a difference all at the same time!

Here’s a list of a few local farmer’s markets in the south OC area (that are currently open) and when they are every week:

San Clemente Village, Sunday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Dana Point, Saturday, Oct. 9, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Farmakis Farms San Juan Capistrano, Friday, Oct. 8, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ladera Ranch, Sunday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Laguna Niguel, Sunday, Oct. 10, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Laguna Beach, Saturday, Oct. 9, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Newport Beach, Sunday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Costa Mesa, Thursday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Irvine Great Park, Sunday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tustin, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Griffin Towers Santa Ana, Friday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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