Crunchy Goodness Urban Homesteading: First Market of the Season!

If you ask me, it's not really summer until we get to go to the Markets downtown again. I was spoiled when we lived in Germany. We had access to the Marktplatz twice a week and they had everything you could imagine. Eating healthy and in season was quite easy. Even meats and breads and cheeses could be got there.

The Martkplatz we visited when we lived in Hanau, Germany.

The States isn't quite the same. Some markets in some very urban areas are like this, running year round or mostly year round with a wide assortment of goodies. Some sell raw milk, cheeses, butters, pastured meats, etc. Ours isn't like that, and the first month or so, there's not a lot to be had, but hey, it's still a farmer's market and the more we go, the more vendors will see there is business to be had!

Besides I love getting up on Saturday, enjoying some homemade cinnamon rolls and coffee, then walking downtown with the kids to hang out at the market, get some veggies for the week, and then head to the library for some quiet time. Very nice and relaxed way to spend your Saturday morning.

But even though our market isn't what I was spoiled on overseas, I know something. I know that Family farms need our support! Family farms have a hard time getting in the biz now that big Ag has taken over. Used to be, you could find corner shops that sold local produce, but they've been put out of business by the likes of Walmart and other large chains stores. And why not? I mean, you can get food so much cheaper there right? But if we could spend half our budget at local farmers markets, you'd be surprised the impact that it makes. Its giving those farms a fighting chance and they need it!

You know, one reason I like to shop farmers markets is that one, you can find organic food cheaper. Two, even the stuff that's not organic, it's got less pesticides on it, than something from a giant field that is sprayed every week no matter what. Most hobby farms that spray only do so when necessary, and because there's more biodiversity, the need is less than a farm with one food growing, like say, corn.

Also, the backyard farmer doesn't have access to GMO seeds. They might be using hybrids, which aren't seed savable, but they don't grow GMO.

There's several things I hope to accomplish by taking our family to the market every week.

My four children, on our way to the market this morning.

Give my kids a sense of real food.

For the last 10 years, our family has lived close enough to the city and it's offerings to walk. We used to walk to a local fast food joint for lunch, then hit up the store for a few days worth of groceries and then head back home. We've changed this routine to hitting up the farmers market for healthy foods, then hitting up the library for healthy "brain food."What I'm after is to associate healthy foods with "being happy". I grew up thinking being on a diet was the normal way of life. That everyone had to be on a diet, all the time because food was the enemy. But it doesn't have to be. Real food is good for you, including things like butter and cheese.

Let the kids know where their food comes from.

You know, I see it all the time working around children. There is a real disconnect in where our foods actually come from. My kids were horrified to learn how the meat is made that we use for say....spaghetti night. But I reassured them, its a natural process and that it can be humane, it doesn't have to be like you see with a Feed Lot and slaughter house.

It really hit home for me when a child I know was grossed out by the thought of food growing in the ground and covered in dirt. I mean really? How did this child think our food was grown? They couldn't answer me but to say indignantly "You get it at the store". YIKES! No, it's grown in the ground, but they just wouldn't have it.

I want my kids to know who's growing their food!

You know, we do grow a lot here, but we only have room for so much. I can't grow everything. Of course, I can't buy everything local either, we can't get milk, cheese, butter, wheat, other grains (unless we want GMO corn), and some things like asparagus and other "not so widely used" veggies and fruits. But what we don't grow, I try to buy downtown. Getting to know our food suppliers is pretty important so we know what practices they use.

Introduce new and healthy foods that they'll like.

Getting kids to eat new foods can be challenging, and if we're downright honest, kids can be very picky eaters. I mean, kids crave stability and routine. They need to know that they're loved, and what to expect on a daily basis. Hell, adults need this as well if you get right down to it. But kids just aren't equipped emotionally yet to deal with daily changes, and introducing new foods can be a huge roadblock. One thing you can do is to let them pick something out that week. Then you can take it home and show them how to cook it. There are also plenty of cooking books at your local library if you're unsure how to cook a new food. We all start somewhere right?

Saturday mornings are no longer reseverd for cartoons and laying around.

This is what my morning lineup looked like.

Well not for my kids. The 1980's saw some serious changes to our society in the form of consume more, do less, and all with more convenience. Fast food chains really took off and it was quite common for everyone to have a tele and a other modern appliances in their homes. Now, it's unheard of for these things not to be found in homes.

Instead of letting my kids lay around and veg out (without the veggies I might add) on Saturday mornings with all sorts of crazy cartoons, we get out, get a good walk in and become more active in our food procurement. And don't feel sorry for my kids :) They get plenty of cartoons, but weekends are family time.

Voting with their dollars.

One of the most important things we can do, every single day, is to vote with our dollars. If we want healthy, home grown food, without pesticides and without GMO, the best way to let Big Ag know is to spend your money on those foods, and not spend it on processed crap you find in the grocery store. The more dollars you spend locally, the more stays locally and that's good for you and your community.