With summer on the horizon, farmers markets are springing up across Ohio. These popular marketplaces don’t just offer great prices, they’re also a source of fresh, local fruits and vegetables – the healthiest and tastiest choices for you and your family. Here’s what to look for.

Why Go to a Farmers Market

Farmers markets usually offer an abundance of fresh local produce, picked at the peak of the growing season when it is at its freshest and tastes the best. Nothing beats the crunch of crisp snap peas or the natural sweetness of ripe berries fresh from the farm.

Plus, produce from farmers markets is often richer in vitamins and nutrients than fruits and vegetables that were picked before they were ripe, then shipped a long distance.

Eating fresh produce in its natural state is much better for your health. U.S. dietary guidelines recommend two to four servings of fruit and three to five servings of vegetables daily.

Visit the Ohio Proud website to find farmers markets located near you. You can sort from options such as roadside stands, traditional markets and pick-your-own.

June in Ohio

June is bursting with vegetables and berries that are delicious in meals, snacks and desserts. Here’s what’s in season this month:

• Green vegetables: leafy lettuce, endive and escarole, spinach, cabbage, kale, collards, asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, snap beans, green onions and peas.
• Red vegetables: radishes and beets.
• Fruit (and a sweet vegetable): cherries, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries – and rhubarb. Often mistaken for a fruit, rhubarb is actually a vegetable frequently used in jams, jellies and pies.
• Spices and herbs: cilantro, dill seed and parsley.

To get your ideas flowing, visit the Ohio Farm Bureau website to learn more about seasonal fruits and vegetables now and throughout the year.

Extra Help

If you’re part of a government program to help cover the cost of food, you may be able to use your benefits at a farmers market, farm or roadside stand. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website has information on how and where you can use the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program, Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at the farmers market.

Happy eating!

Sources:
Ohio Farm Bureau
Ohio Proud
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Department of Agriculture