With the fall now upon us, it’s time to get outdoors and interect with the community by supporting your local farmer’s market.  Looking for fresher meats, produce or baked goods?  Searching for the perfect gift or natural body care item that you just can’t seem to find at your typical chain retailer?   Then we at G.B. Proudfoot’s Natural Body Care urge you to explore your local farmer’s market community.  Not only do they provide excellent goods but additionally, they’re a great way to spend time with your family and community members!  Here are the Top 5 Reasons to Support Farmer’s Markets…

1.  You can explore industries, produce and artistic styles that are both native to your area or exoticly international.  Farmer’s markets are terrific for showcasing the original work and palettes of local artisans, caterers and craftsmen.  Oftentimes, you can also enjoy an international flare that has been locally prepared by a vendor who is culturally knowledgeable of that exotic region.

2.  Produce, meat, baked goods and body care products are fresher and should contain NO harmful commercial preservatives, fillers or hormones. Farmer’s markets feature produce, meat, baked goods and other fun, freshly prepared goods that have been crafted and marketed for their local communities.  That means less time on a ship or truck and therefore no need for added preservatives or other synthetic shelf-life additions that are not healthy for the human body’s well-being.

3.  Community Interaction. Where else can you listen to local live musical acts, shop for a number of different local specialty items, and best of all interact with dozens of local small business owners (all within a fun, casual outdoor environment)?  What’s more, is that you’ll find that farmer’s market vendors are highly knowledgeable in their field and that they can advise and teach you a great deal about the goods they are making or manufacturing locally.  Best of all, it’s wonderful to establish a rapport among local consumers and the small business marketplace within your community.

4.  Helping your local economy grow. When it comes to economic recovery, so many of us listen to national headlines and statistics without further considering how we, ourselves, can assist in economic growth right in our own cities and towns.  By supporting farmer’s markets, consumers are assisting in the growth of the small business owner and their local industries through their attendance, purchasing of goods and word of mouth advertising.

5.  Entertaining for the whole family! Take the whole family down to a local farmer’s market and enjoy hours of food, fun and friendly faces.  Learn about emerging trends or classicly preserved styles of natural body care, foods, gifts, artwork, you name it!

To learn more about where Farmer’s Markets are located in your area, you can go online to the US Department of Agriculture http://bit.ly/okPPzA.  There you can simply enter your region and it will generate a listing of farmer’s markets in your area.

As always, we at G.B. Proudfoot’s Natural Body Care value the Farmer’s Market community and currently participate in the following markets:

• Glendale Twilight Market (Wednesdays 4-7pm, 59th Avenue & Utopia)
• North Scottsdale Farmer’s Market (Saturdays 8am-1pm East of 92nd St & Shea)
• Scottsdale Old Town Farmer’s Market (closed month of September 2010)
• Reatta Pass Farmer’s Market (Sundays 9am-2pm N. Happy Valley Rd on Alma School Pkwy)