Fresh is Best: Buying From Local Farmers Makes Economic Sense

A recent article in the Gainesville (FL) Sun, "Area restaurants fighting inflation" cast a new light on reasons why shopping at Farmers' Markets is a smart buy.

Area restauranteurs are fighting spiraling commodity prices that are pushing up their costs of doing business and alarming customers who forego their optional dining budget in favor of putting gasoline in their cars.

Chef Bert Gill of Gainesville has long advocated patronage of local food vendors. In the Sun article, he pointed out as he has many times that, by buying locally, he saves money on shipping, uses foods with a longer shelf life, and has better, fresher foods to serve in his restaurants.

These same reasons, along with avoiding loss of vitamin power due to long-distance shipping and the benefits of keeping food dollars in the community, make purchases from local farmers a sensible and cost-effective decision. In these times of high fuel prices, shopping locally makes abundant economic sense for local restaurants and individual consumers who want high quality foods at lower cost. In short, fresh is best.

Alachua County has a number of farmers markets within reach where you may easily patronize area farmers. A listing may be found at www.florida-agriculture.com/consumers/farmers_markets.htm. Many of the listed markets have their own web sites and they are listed there. Patronize one of these markets and support local agriculture.