It’s that time … spring returns to the farmers market! Radishes, spinach, lettuce, peas, rhubarb and cherries, oh my! Bring on the spring produce!
While perusing the seasonal produce at the Farmers’ Market it occurred to me:
Farmer’s markets make people happy.
I hear an all-too-common lament at my coaching practice at Blum Center for Health: “Ever since lockdown I don’t feel as connected to people as I used to.” There’s a sense of loss and loneliness in those words.
But, imagine shoppers meandering the stalls, slowing down to chat with other shoppers, exchanging pleasantries and conversing with the farmers who grow their food.
Farmers Markets create connection.
It’s an easy place to strike up a conversation. “Oh, those are beautiful. Have you ever cooked with them?” If you are looking to connect with like-minded people, meet someone with whom you can be conversant, or perhaps you’re looking for a local meet-up group, give it a try. Go with the intention of starting a conversation with three people. Just practice talking with strangers. You’ll see … with each successful conversation it becomes easier and easier.
Before you know it your walk through the Farmers’ Market will be teeming with new acquaintances.
Farmers Markets create activity.
The Farmers Market also provides the perfect setting for a fun evening with family or friends. Meet at the market, collect ingredients for your meal, take your bounty home and cook a meal together. Channel your inner designer and dress a beautifully set table. Marvel, appreciate and savor a truly farm-to-table meal prepared with the freshest ingredients and with love and care. It makes for a memorable meal, a feast for the senses.
Farmers Markets create community.
Research demonstrates repeatedly that social connection is a key to longevity, improved mental health, and a general sense of happiness. As reported in National Public Radio’s program, This Emotional Life, “…people are happier when they are with other people than when they are alone… They also are finding that happy people are more pleasant, helpful, and sociable. So being around people makes us feel happier, and when we are happier we are more fun to be around, creating an “upward spiral” of happiness.”
In essence, connecting with others is the single most important thing we can do for our happiness.
This notion of connectedness at a Farmers Market runs much deeper than solely a place to meet others. It is an interconnected system that serves to reconnect us to our rural roots, the earth, and reminds us that we have a critical responsibility to be part of the food cycle, rather than just buyers at the local supermarket.
Farmers Markets are good for the Earth.
The benefits of farmers markets are myriad. They:
– allow us to eat seasonally.
– give us the opportunity to buy food that tastes better and is picked at the peak of its flavor.
– provide the opportunity to try specialty produce. Orange tiger eggplants, anyone?
– support local farmers and aid in rural regeneration.
– give us the opportunity to talk with the person who actually grows our food!
– provide a hub of food-related community education, commerce and creativity.
– reduces our carbon footprint — the amount of fossil fuels is drastically reduced in the delivery of the food from farm to dinner table. Next time you’re at the grocery check out where your fruits and veggies come from.
– allow us to be an active, thoughtful participant in our own food production.
– create an artist tableau with color and texture and a feast for the senses.
If you haven’t already, it’s time to fall in love with the Farmers Market. Play an active role in the farm-to-table movement. Stay open, smile, speak to people. At the very least you might just walk away with a smile and a great recipe!
About Melissa Rapoport: A skilled listener, Melissa empowers her clients to achieve their goals by working together to create tools and strategies that are unique to each person that walks through her door. Her passion is to look at the whole person and, like a detective, find their keys to success, incorporating health goals with topics as diverse as dealing with stress, eating healthy while managing a busy life, increasing joy and creating powerful self-care practices.