Now, you might be saying "of course they sell it to me, they sell it to me at the wondrous, magical supermarket. Well supermarkets have overhead and corporate garbage, and so you may live in Nebraska and your corn could be coming from Missouri. Don't you want to help out your local farmers before some guy in a different part of the country? Of course you do.
This brings us to the Farmers' Market, a fun, friendly and entertaining way to get your shopping done.
Look at this stuff? How can you say this isn't worth a little jog out of the way?
Most farmers' markets will only be open for the summer and early fall, though a few stay open all year round depending on your local climate. You MUST, at least once, take the opportunity and go check out your local market.
For example, here in Savannah, GA our market has new potatoes, berries, corn, peppers, squash, etc. that all beat the pants off the local Kroger. Plus we can get fresh herbs there that either you don't have time of space to grow yourself. Want mint for those mojitos or juleps? Need a ton of basil for a mountain of pesto? Want rosemary to use as skewers for veggy kabobs? You can get all that there, man.
This is the kind of food that the farmers themselves are eating, and they're fresher and riper than things left to ripen in natural gas, or artificially colored.
Kroger lights their food with tungsten bulbs to make the food look better than it actually is, as do all major supermarkets. No surprise there, but you have an alternative.
"But I live in a place where no one farms," you say. You may be a liar but aren't aware! Check this link- Farmer's Markets listed by State
Or simple google your city and "Farmer's Market." Isn't that easy? You might even come up with a farmer's market that isn't on the USDA Sate listing. We found a Farmer's Market only three blocks from us not listed on the State-by-State page.
Another thing you should look for are local meat sources- Fishmongers and/or
Butchers.
I know, some people think the butcher has to be a psycho who enjoys blood and guts. But you know what? He or she is a person that can tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the meat you're buying. How to cook it, how fresh is it? What's good today? All that stuff.
I know a few things about butchering animals, and it's amazing. When you know what to look for and what you want, it gives you power over what you eat. Your butcher can help you with this, it's his job. If you just stop and say, "hey, you know a lot about cow parts. I'd like a really tender steak that I won't need to marinade much and I'll be grilling." Compliment the person, it can be a thankless job sometimes. Similarly, if you're not landlocked, you may be near a fish market. Savannah's best little fish house is called Russo's Seafood and it's amazing. Fresh fish, oysters, scallops, whatever you want from the sea as fresh as can be. You pick your fish and guys in the back will clean it however you want. Red Snapper fillets? No problem.
You'll notice that a lot of my recipes feature seafood. It's because the sea is 20 minutes from here and it's a huge industry here in the South. The people at Russo's are friendly, and just like a butcher, will help you out any way they can.
Look around your area for a more things than just your favorite supermarket.
It's worth it, I swear.