Throughout the world, farmers markets have been around for decades. Long before there were supermarkets, there were daily open air markets. With the introduction of the the supermarket, open air markets in the U.S. practically disappeared. But they have made a mighty comeback, and are growing at a rapid pace. Not only are they increasing, but they are now available to all consumers, rich or poor. I'll give you a little background on the expansion of farmers markets in Southern California.
The first market in L.A. County opened in 1979, in the parking lot of a Gardena church. A peach farmer brought his fruit to the Gardena parking lot, and was mobbed by customers from day one. Other farmers saw the possibilities, especially of being able to set their own prices, rather than selling wholesale where they were told the price per box that buyers would pay. The first five markets in Southern California were sponsored by the Interfaith Hunger Coalition. Their goal was to help small farmers sell their produce and poor people buy it. Their feeling was that everyone should have access to fresh, nutritious food.
Presently there are over 120 farmers markets in the Los Angeles area, and dozens more in Orange County and San Diego. Mayor Villaraigosa wants to turn L.A. into the farmers market capital of the world.
One important change in the current markets is that they now take food stamps. In fact, at the Gardena market, half of their weekly business is from customers using food stamps. This means that good, nutritious food is finally available to ALL people.
Most of us have moved to the city for the many conveniences it provides, but we still want to eat like we live on the farm. Now that everyone has access to locally grown wholesome food, let's hope that the farmers market trend continues to grow. The side benefit of all this is that it keeps local farmers in business, doing what they love to do. I don't know about you, but I don't want a society where all our food comes from ConAgra.
The first market in L.A. County opened in 1979, in the parking lot of a Gardena church. A peach farmer brought his fruit to the Gardena parking lot, and was mobbed by customers from day one. Other farmers saw the possibilities, especially of being able to set their own prices, rather than selling wholesale where they were told the price per box that buyers would pay. The first five markets in Southern California were sponsored by the Interfaith Hunger Coalition. Their goal was to help small farmers sell their produce and poor people buy it. Their feeling was that everyone should have access to fresh, nutritious food.
Presently there are over 120 farmers markets in the Los Angeles area, and dozens more in Orange County and San Diego. Mayor Villaraigosa wants to turn L.A. into the farmers market capital of the world.
One important change in the current markets is that they now take food stamps. In fact, at the Gardena market, half of their weekly business is from customers using food stamps. This means that good, nutritious food is finally available to ALL people.
Most of us have moved to the city for the many conveniences it provides, but we still want to eat like we live on the farm. Now that everyone has access to locally grown wholesome food, let's hope that the farmers market trend continues to grow. The side benefit of all this is that it keeps local farmers in business, doing what they love to do. I don't know about you, but I don't want a society where all our food comes from ConAgra.
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