How a Farmers' Market Helps the Community

Ever walked into a grocery store - or any store, really - and just been overwhelmed by the selection of items on the shelves? Have you ever looked at a piece of meat or a vegetable and wondered how to use it, but no one seems to know?  Do you know from where your produce comes?  A lot of people, myself included, cannot always answer these questions in a positive way.  A lot of people just don't care, and want the cheapest price for the items on their grocery lists, and that's fine - we all have our way of doing things.

Some of us, though, enjoy being able to establish a rapport with our food providers.  Some of us want to know exactly what we're buying, where it's from, and how to use it, and we want a personal touch added to our shopping experience.  Some of us want to help the Flint Area become a more self-sustaining and viable community.  For those of us, a farmers' market is a dream come true.

Farmers' Markets, at their core, allow producers to sell their goods directly to a customer, without having to use a middle man, such as a grocery store or other store-front.  As such, the producer receives a larger cut of the profits than they would when dealing with a corporation.  On the other hand, they are required to ship their own product to the location of the market, as well as pay a small fee to sell there, meaning that the product may be more expensive than a big-box store.

Unfortunately, farmers' markets are usually only seasonal, due to the availability of appropriate weather.  Does that make them any less important?  Absolutely not!  People are more likely to get out in the summertime, and having an extra place to visit is always a good thing; if they can purchase a few veggies or a pound of meat, and help support those in our community, so much the be tter!  Why not help keep our hard-earned money in the community?

The Flint Farmers' Market even tries to help those who are on government assistance to be able to purchase local, fresh goods: some vendors can accept bridge cards.  Going one step further is their program, a State program known as "Double Up Food Bucks", which allows a consumer to double their available Bridge Card purchasing power, up to $20.  It's a wonderful thing for those of us on government assistance, and in this economy, everyone knows someone who could use that knowledge.

The Flint Farmers' Market is open all year: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-5, and Saturdays, 8-5.  Their location will soon be changing, as they plan to move downtown next year!  You can find more information about the Flint Farmer's Market here: http://flintfarmersmarket.com/

The FFM isn't the only market in the Flint Area!  There are also:

•The Grand Blanc City Farmers' Market (Sun 10AM-3PM, Wed 4-7PM)

cityofgrandblanc.com/NewsEvents/FarmersMarket/tabid/5439/Default.aspx

•The Linden Farmers' Market (Wed 5-8PM)

facebook.com/pages/Linden-Farmers-Market/115266028486885

•The Durand Farmers' Market (Wed 10AM-3PM)

local-farmers-markets.com/market/2420/durand/durand-union-station-farmers-market

•The Fenton Farmers' Market (Thu 5-8PM)

facebook.com/pages/Fenton-Farmers-Market/109982129029582

And those were just off the top of my head!  I'm sure there are more that I don't know about, all hoping to help those in their community succeed, one tomato at a time!

If you happen to know of any other Farmers' Markets in the Flint Area, you can contact me via email or by Twitter: 

localflintrestaurants@gmail.com

OR

twitter.com/FRestRevs