Grocery stores are not the only option when you are buying fresh produce. In some cases it might be more convenient to purchase all of your food from one location. That doesn’t mean it is the best or least expensive.
There are many places you can purchase fresh produce from. Some of these might be local produce stands, local farms, U-pick farms, farmer’s markets in your area or during some times of the year they can be parked alongside the road selling their fruits and vegetables.
Living in the country often times you’ll see local farms with their signs hanging out in front of them. These farms range in what they offer. You can find ones that offer berries, organic produce or fruits.
How do you find these places if you don’t want to drive around? Go online and research it. Here are 5 sites that will help you find what you need:
LocalFarmMarkets.org
On this site you’ll find a clickable image of the United States. Click on your state. Then scroll down. You’ll find a list of farms. You’ll have to look through them to determine which ones are the closest to you.
PickYourOwn.org
This site is very similar to the one above; however, it offers different options. Again you’ll have to look through the farms because it offers several in that state.
More and more businesses are creating Facebook pages for their company. Going onto Facebook and searching will bring up several local businesses in your area.
Use Search Engines
Pick your favorite search engine such as Google or Bing and find local produce that way. You’ll find quite a few if they have websites.
You can use words such as – farm, farmers market, u-pick farm. These search phrases will work both on Facebook and the search engine.
Craigslist
This one might be the hardest to navigate or find what you need, but it is a resource and you can find valuable information. One category you could try is under For Sale and then Farm+Garden. You can use the above search phrases.
You’ll find a wide range of items on this site from plants to u-pick options.
You might be able to find local u-pick or farmer’s markets under Community Events. You will have to look under each day in order to see if they offer events on that day.
At first it might take you time to find local fresh produce in your area, but once you find a place you like all the research will be worth it. You’ll be buying local and you’ll know where your food comes from.
