Utah Farmers Markets: Why Buying Local Matters
We all know what it’s like shopping at crowded grocery stores. People bustling through the aisles, produce shipped from who knows where, and natural products are few and far between.
Consider buying local if you’re tired of that scene and the prices that come with natural products.
Before you turn your nose up or give me some hardcore eye rolls, hear me out!
A visit to the local farmers markets is typically viewed as a unique foodie adventure and has a bad rep for being a “rich” way to shop for organic produce. However, there is so much more to buying local!
If you’re looking to get healthier food on your table, cut costs, and give back to the community, buying local might be your thing! If you wonder why buying local matters, let’s take a look at the benefits it can bring to your life and your community.
Why Buying Local Matters to Utah
Think that buying local is just a hipster trend? Think again!
Below are benefits everyone should understand when it comes to buying local and the impact it has on individuals, the community, and the earth:
Buying Local Helps Connect With The Community
Whether it’s getting a new recipe or gardening tip from a local vendor or passing through to meet other locals, your time at a Utah farmers market is a great way to connect with members of the local community.
With every conversation, you hear amazing stories, make meaningful connections and gain helpful insights. Next time you visit, buy a local donut and sit down to enjoy some new friends!
Buying Local Helps Save Cash
Farmers markets are viewed as a “rich person’s” way to buy organic produce. This is a stereotype we need to set straight!
According to this study by NOFA, comparisons of conventionally raised produce—on average—are priced the same at supermarkets and farmers markets alike. As for organic products? Turns out local farmers markets are actually cheaper (again, on average) than at the grocery store.
In grocery stores, sometimes it will say that the produce is “organic” and “local.” But if you look a little closer at where it actually comes from, there are still processes made to preserve produce look so it can travel more distance and remain looking fresh. Some hike up prices because of the label. Sometimes, when it says, “local,” it can actually be grown from around 100-200 miles away from the store it is being sold in.
Sad, right?
Take advantage of this new found knowledge and find ways you can save money by buying local produce! You can save some serious cash knowing this tidbit.
Buying Local Helps Local Farmers and Startups
Simply put, when you buy local, it stays local!
The money you invest into the local farmers markets directly impacts your local community. This creates jobs and improves the local economy. You help pay local business owners and farmers bills by buying their products.
It is a huge deal to buy locally for this reason alone.
On top of supporting local farmers, most start-ups without a brick and mortar use markets to spread the word about their business. This is a fun way to find local shops while supporting their growth!
Buying Local Improves Your Food Quality
A lot of the time, the food at the farmers’ market comes picked within the week!
Talk about your food being super fresh compared to the store bought food!
What this means for you is that your produce has all the vitamins and minerals that it’s supposed to have. With time, produce loses its nutritional value. By cutting down travel time, you get healthier food choices. By buying local, you are getting produce at the peak of freshness with all of the nutrients.
Buying Local Gives You Unique Options
A trip to a farmers market gives you unique produce options you might not have known existed! Grocery stores typically only carry “popular” food options. So you are cutting yourself short when it comes to food exploration.
If you want to add some spice and local flair to your dinner table, consider adding new locally grown items. Broaden your horizons!
Buying Local Gives You Confidence
We live in a world where it seems like there are bad things happening all around. Buying local gives you confidence in “knowing” what you are putting on your tables.
Whether it is knowing how your food was produced or what types of pesticides or herbicides are being used on your produce, you are in the driver’s seat. By buying local, you are connected to your food allowing for more informed choices about your health.
Buying Local Is Earth-Friendly
According to scientists in 2010, around eight million tons of plastic trash ends up in the ocean. Sad!
What’s even more sad about that number is that it’s expected to increase ten-fold over the next decade! So, how can you help? Reduce your plastic use and buy local.
Grocery stores use plastic packaging and bags. Local farmers markets use limited packaging and require you to bring reusable bags! Choose to shop local, ditch plastic, and join the #CrushPlastic movement.
Buy Utah, Buy Local, Be Better
Simply put, buying local here in Utah matters.
Hopefully this article helped you see that you can make a difference in big ways! Choose to purchase local products. This is supports your local economy, and helps you engage with your community. In addition, it will improve your health and help you do your part to protect the environment.
If you make weekly purchases from local food markets, your money and support can go a long way toward strengthening the world around you! If you want some suggestions on where to go? Reach out to me. I’d be happy to chat about great products and markets!
What do you think? How has buying local helped improve your life? Do you believe it can help the world, your life and your community? Share below!
Perennials and Annuals: What’s the Difference
Do you ever notice that some plants die off after a season while others come back for more every year?
If you are new to gardening or you are trying to expand your knowledge, you should know that there are two major plant types to consider when planning your garden.
The two are annuals and perennials.
Both types are essential in any garden, so it’s important to understand just what sets them apart to fully take advantage of gardening. In this article, I will teach you everything you need to know about annuals vs. perennials.
Perennials and Annuals: The Differences and Benefits
To start, perennials come back year after year.
They sleep through the winter and then wake up again in the spring to come to life again! Typically perennials last an average of five years before they need to be replanted, some even last longer! Perennials are colored more naturally.
Annuals need to be replanted annually or every year. Annuals are typically the brighter flowers. They only bloom for a season but they are beautiful. People usually use them to brighten up their property because it adds so much color and texture to their garden(s).
Now, before you start to develop an idea that one is better than another, that is simply not true!
There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Even though annuals are gorgeous and brightly colored, they are more work. They need to be replanted every year. That means you have to spend money, time and energy and usually more soil to add them to your garden yearly.
One benefit however is that they are typically less expensive than perennials. Even though perennials are usually more expensive flowers, it makes sense because they last longer. However, perennials don’t always bloom the first season, or sometimes even the first few seasons you have them planted in your yard. They are also usually more natural in color.
As a rule of thumb, all great gardens have a good mix of perennials and annuals from year to year. So, be sure to take the benefits of both to truly create stunning collaborative efforts for each flower type!
Bonus: A Flower Fun Fact
What is really interesting about annuals and perennials is that some flower breeds can be both!
The dazzling sunflower can be both an annual and a perennial. Perennial sunflowers have small seed heads where as annual sunflowers can have small or large seed heads. Annual sunflowers bloom the first year after they are planted, but perennial sunflowers take at least two years before they bloom. Perennials appear in early spring whereas annuals appear later in springtime. Annual sunflowers grow quickly whereas perennial sunflowers take much longer to grow. Annual sunflowers usually just grow from one stem whereas perennial sunflowers grow from a group of stems that look like a cluster.
Now You Know
The cool thing about gardening is that it can be as easy or time consuming as you want it to be.
By simply understanding flowers like annuals and perennials you can simply plan for the type of garden and gardener you want to be!
Want something more low key? Perennials.
Want something more hands on? Annuals.
Understanding the difference between these flowers can really make or break your experience. The coolest thing about annuals is that you can change the look of your garden every year based on what colors and patterns you want for that season of your life.
Flowers are so fun, huh?
Hopefully you found this article helpful, but if you have more questions, give me a buzz! I would also love to see flower beds you are planting so be sure to tag me on Instagram your gardening creations! My handle is @TheBloomingHive!
