Farmers’ Markets, Cooking With Seasonal Produce

Over the past decade, consumers across the United States have turned increasingly to local food sourcing, primarily from farmers’ markets, to make more informed choices about healthier eating and to address concerns about food quality, fuel and soil resource depletion, genetically modified crops, and obesity and obesity-related disease.

Local food sourcing and cooking present both benefits and challenges to home cooks. Benefits include access to fresher, more flavorful ingredients; ease of meal preparation; a more varied diet; the opportunity to “know before you buy”; direct connection with food producers; a sense of community; supporting local economies; and preserving agricultural land for a diverse ecosystem. Challenges include changing shopping and cooking habits; learning to use seasonal, new, or unfamiliar ingredients; and concerns about cost, time, availability, food ...