Fresh Local Foods

Spring is here, and it's time to get fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables at the farmers' market! Produce grown in your own area is fresher, so it tastes better. When you buy it at a farmer's market, it's in season, probably picked within the last day or two, so it still contains vital nutrients. And buying food grown locally supports farm families in your community.

The Buy Appalachian Local Food Guide promotes fresh foods from the mountains of Western North Carolina, "Thousands of miles fresher!" Green leafy products are available now, as in the picture at left. Almost three dozen local farmers present tailgate markets in the area.

Markets like these provide a direct connection between the farmer and the customer, as well as fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables. Other large North Carolina farmers' markets are shown at NC Farm Fresh Markets, by name of market and by county. South Carolina manages three large regional farmers' markets, in Columbia, Greenville, and Florence. 

You can sometimes find fresh food on your way home, at a roadside market. The SC Roadside Market Directory lists many of them. NC Farms includes roadside markets and also farms where you can 'Pick Your Own.' That's as fresh as you can get!