• By Lynne Mitchell
• Posted Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Looking for something new and different to do during the summer months?

Forsyth County has several Farmers Markets that operate on different days and hours during the week. With summer produce at its peak, this is a great time to visit a Farmers Market.

When planning your visit to a Farmers Market, set aside about one hour for your visit. This will give you time to visit each of the different booths at the market. Each farmers market is unique, too. In addition to locally grown produce, some markets sell locally raised meats, poultry, eggs, homemade crafts, soaps, essential oils, plants, cheese, jellies, jams, pickles, salsa and baked goods. So many good things to choose from!

Before going to the market, do your homework and find out what locally grown foods are currently in season so you can include them in your lunch or dinner menu for that day. Bring a reusable bag or basket to the market for the items you purchase. It is also a good idea to bring cash or your SNAP benefits card as most markets don’t accept checks or credit/debit cards. Both Cobblestone and the Fairgrounds markets accept SNAP benefits.

Farmers Markets are fun learning environments! Children can learn about colors and shapes at the market. It is also a great way for them to learn more about different kinds of fruits and vegetables and how they are grown. Most farmers are more than happy to take a few minutes to talk to you about their products. There are also books you can read to your child about farmers markets – in fact, one of our local farmers, Vern Switzer, has written a few children’s books.

A fun math lesson is to give your child a dollar or two and ask them to buy any produce item they want at the Farmers Market. You might be surprised what they choose! Remember, some markets sell baked goods and other non-produce items so be sure to be clear about ground rules before playing this game.

Visiting a Farmers Market is a great way to learn more about nutrition. Teaching children to eat from the rainbow of foods is important for good health. Eating different colors of fruits and vegetables gives your body a wide variety of nutrients. You may want to make a game out of having your children name an item at the market from every color of the rainbow. They may be surprised to learn that okra can be purple! You can also teach them about seasonality – where certain crops grow best during certain times of the year.