The Many Benefits Of Shopping Local Farmers' Markets

From savoring produce at the peak of freshness, meeting the people who grow your food, to shopping in a safer outdoor environment, there are countless reasons to shop at your local farmers' market Here are just a few:

Taste the Difference

This food is as real as it gets—fresh from the farm. The freshest and tastiest you can get.

Enjoy the Season

Produce purchased at a farmers market is seasonal. You won’t find asparagus in August but in May it is fresh and delicious and reflects the truest flavors. Shopping and cooking with local fruits and vegetables in season helps you reconnect with the cycles of nature in our region.

Support Family Farmers

Family farmers need your support! Buying directly from farmers removes the middle man giving them a better return for their produce and a fighting chance to survive in our global economy.

Outdoor Shopping, a Safer Environment

Experts agree that shopping in an outdoor environment is a safer alternative to grocery stores during the covid-19 pandemic. It's all about good air circulation.

Protect the Environment

Food at the farmers market is transported short distances and is grown using methods that minimize the impact on the earth compared to large agriculture. Less to no packaging decreases trash produced less travel preserves fossil fuels and lowers our carbon footprint.

Nourish Yourself

Small local farmers go to great lengths to grow the most nutritious produce possible by using sustainable techniques, picking produce right before the market, and growing heirloom varieties.

Promotes Humane Treatment of Animals

At a farmers' market, you can find meats, cheeses, dairy and eggs from animals that have been raised without hormones or antibiotics, who have grazed on green grass and eaten natural diets, and who have been spared the cramped and unnatural living conditions of feedlots and cages that are typical of animal agriculture.

Know Where Your Food Comes From

You can meet and talk with the farmers and food artisans to learn how their food is grown and produced.

Connect and Support Your Community

Coming to a farmers' market makes shopping a pleasure rather than a chore. Dollars spent go directly back into your community economy as farmers and food producers are your neighbors.

Ellington Farmers' Market

The Ellington Farmers' Market is held Saturday mornings from 9-12 at the Ellington High School, 37 Maple Street. Sign up for the weekly newsletter to keep in touch with all that is happening. Contact the market at ellingtonfarmersmarket@gmail.com or via the website www.ellingtonfarmersmarket.com

The market hosts 35 farm and food vendors. For your convenience most vendors take pre-orders for quick and easy pickup on market day.