Farmers Holding Their Quality Reputation
Shop local farmers markets for the freshest, most cost-effective way to get the most incredible produce into your kitchen. You are also doing something really special by supporting local farmers. It’s a win-win-win scenario, so take advantage of it this growing season! Renovating Your Mind wants to thank all independent farmers that take pride in the miracles they make happen in their fields.
Take a look below at what types of produce are available in your neck of the woods for this spring season.
Beyond Beautiful
Go to the upper right hand corner of the United States and there you will find the states of the Northeast. Here we have:
- Fruits: Cherries, rhubarb and strawberries
- Vegetables: Arugula, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, collard greens, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peas, radishes, scallions, and spinach.
Colors Are Amazing
Down from the northeast and you come to The South. This beautiful bounty is:
- Fruits: blackberries,blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupes, cherries, nectarines, melons, peaches, plums and strawberries
In addition, Florida has mangoes available.
- Vegetables: asparagus, bell peppers, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, green beans, greens (chard, collard and kale), lettuce, lima beans, okra, onions, potatoes, scallions, snap peas, summer squash, tomatoes, yellow squash, watermelon, zucchini
Nature Offers A Multitude Of Miracles
Lets take a gander over at The Midwest for their produce developments over this spring season. We are looking at:
- Fruits: cherries, rhubarb, and strawberries
- Vegetables: arugula, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, kohlrabi, leeks, peas, potatoes, spinach and turnips
Think About Trying To Get This Quality At The Supermarket
The West has these goodies growing right now:
- Fruits: apricots, avocados, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupes, cherries, grapefruit, pears, nectarines, pears, peaches, plumes, raspberries, strawberries and rhubarb
- Vegetables: asparagus, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, garlic, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, salad greens, scallions, snap beans, spinach, squash, watercress
Local produce is much better for you because it’s right off the fields with the highest amounts of nutrients. It also reduces the carbon footprint of trucks running cross-country to your market. The distance traveled is small to the farmers’ market so you are not paying shipping costs factored into the produce price.
You could also start your own garden. Plants can be raised from seeds inside the home. You can purchase seedlings for easy to maintain and grow herbs or plants like tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. I found you don’t need a green thumb for most herbs and vegetables. It is such an amazing feeling to know that your salad has ingredients that you grew fresh in your garden.
On a personal funny note, I need to send this story out to you about gardens.
My parents had almost an acre of land in the suburbs. My dad always had a garden. He usually planted over a dozen types of produce every season. Most of the time the plants yielded some delicious food for our menu. I was always the designated weeder. This one time, I decided to go and rent a large commercial gas-powered tiller. I wanted to surprise my father with an even bigger than usual garden all dug up when he came home. I had just gotten my driver’s license so I felt so empowered to go to the rental place, pick up a tiller and bring it home. Well things got a little out of control. I ended up not having much control of the tiller. The holes that resulted resembled a foundation for a home. I was a little embarrassed at what I did to the garden. While I was trying to fix what I screwed up, my dad just happened to come home for lunch. He couldn’t believe what I did to the yard. He said it looked like a graveyard getting ready for corpse burials. It took me the rest of two days to fix what that tiller made me do to create these deep crevices into the earth. I haven’t touched a lawn tool since that learning experience. That is why I visit the produce experts, the local farmers.
Renovating Your Mind 