It’s almost May, and that means farmers markets will soon be opening around Vancouver over the next few weeks.
Farmers markets are a fun way to spend a day with your friends and family, browsing through homemade jewellery and crafts, as well as delicious locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Benefits Of Eating Locally Grown Food:
1. It helps the environment. By eating locally grown food, less transportation is needed, thus cutting down emissions. According to David Suzuki, the average meal travels 1,200 km from the farm to your plate. Eating locally can reduce your global footprint!
2. It’s healthy for your family. Did you know that food grown locally is more nutritious? This is because produce that needs to travel a long distance loses most of its nutrients after just two days of being harvested. Local farmers are also less likely to use pesticides and chemicals that could potentially harm you.
3. It supports the local economy. By buying food grown near you, you know that your money goes directly to those growing the food, not some large corporation.
So where can you buy locally grown foods? Farmers markets will be popping up in the next few weeks all over the lower mainland.
- The Yaletown Farmers Market will be opening on May 1st
- The Trout Lake Farmers Market will open May 10th
- The Kitsilano Farmers Market will open on May 11th
- The West End Farmers Market will open on May 31st
Written by: Anna Ward
Featured image via Foodpunk. Center image via Vancouvermom
