The concept of buying locally-sourced produce might seem foreign and intimidating to some, but it’s actually not a pain at all and is an easy way to support your local community. So, why eat local? Locally grown fruits and vegetables are usually sold within 24 hours of being harvested, so you really can’t get any fresher than that. This means that you’ll be consuming your food at its peak level of flavor and nutrition.
By buying produce direct from your local farmers, your money stays within your community which in turn strengthens the local economy. When you support these local farming families it gives them the power to practice sustainable farming methods that keep pesticides and other chemicals out of runoff water, which betters the quality of our local water supply.
Where to Buy Local in Tallahassee?
Here in Tallahassee, we are lucky enough to have more than a few options when it comes to buying local. You can choose to shop at a farmer’s market, co-op, or even go straight to the farm itself.
Farmer’s Markets
What better way to spend a Saturday morning than taking a trip to the farmer’s market? The produce is always displayed beautifully and there’s usually some unique items floating around that you may have otherwise never come across. In Tallahassee, we have four markets open from Saturday morning to afternoon: the Downtown Market, Tallahassee Farmer’s Market, Frenchtown Heritage Market, and Market Square Farmer’s Market. There is also the Lake Ella Grower’s Market that is held each Wednesday.
Co-Ops
To explain a little what food co-ops, or food cooperatives, they are consumers’ cooperatives where the decisions about the distribution and production of its food are chosen by its members. Since the decisions are not being made by an outside shareholder, co-ops are usually held to a higher standard of social responsibility as opposed to other large corporations.
One of our co-ops in town is located right off of Apalachee Parkway is called New Leaf Market. They value supporting local farmers so much that they even sometimes give discounts off of your total purchase if you made the effort to shop local. The other co-op is called Bread and Roses Food Cooperative. It is located off of Railroad Avenue and is attached to the very popular Bread and Roses Kitchen, which specializes in vegetarian and vegan dishes. As an honorable mention, the new grocery store in town, Lucky’s Market, doesn’t identify as a co-op, but does make an effort to supply their customers with local produce.
Local Farms
We are lucky enough to have access to local farms here in Tallahassee that are less than half an hour from FSU’s campus. Two of our local farms are Orchard Pond Organics and Ripe City Urban Farm. To purchase products from Orchard Pond Organics you can find them at the Market Square Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings.
To try Ripe City’s products, head over to the Lake Ella Grower’s Market on Wednesdays. A fun fact about Ripe City is that it’s run by three FSU alums, so by buying from them you can support your fellow Noles and the Tallahassee community simultaneously. The last spot that is run by a local legend and is called Hoot Gibson’s Produce. Hoot Gibson is over ninety years old and has been selling produce out of his location on Glenview Drive since 1992. By visiting him, you’re sure to come away with some new found knowledge about Tallahassee along with your produce.