With the end of the year rapidly approaching many of us will be entertaining friends and family around the holidays. Traditionally, that means large elaborate meals, days spent in the kitchen making cookies and baked goods, and sharing our favorite foods with our favorite people. Dorn Homes’ Organic HomeTM Plus is a commitment to build a healthy home with materials that help ensure our homeowners aren’t exposed to dangerous chemicals or volatile organic compounds and our Building Science helps reduce your carbon footprint while we do it. You’ve already gone organic with your home, perhaps it’s time to do the same thing with your food. Eating locally-sourced, organic foods is rapidly gaining popularity amongst innovative high-end restaurants, but you can achieve the same results in your own kitchen if you know where to shop.
Prescott is home to a number of chain grocery stores known for their organic offerings. You’ll find Sprouts, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s conveniently located throughout the Quad Cities. These stores are perfect for grabbing a last-minute item on the go, or convenient shopping throughout the week. Even traditional grocers are increasing their offerings of organic produce and meat grown or raised in the state. For some shoppers, that still leaves a significant disconnect between farm and table. To better bridge the gap, there’s nothing quite like a local farmers market. For us, that’s the Prescott Farmers Market.
Prescott Farmers Market is a 501(c)3 organization that was founded over 20 years ago to support the development and success of local farms and ranches with a priority placed on farmers within Yavapai County. They offer a year-round farmers market hosted weekly on Saturdays at Yavapai College with hours varying by season. They also offer a summer market in Chino Valley at Olsen’s Grain.
By supporting your local farmers and ranchers you’re getting more than just produce grown without harsh pesticides or grass-fed beef that’s never treated with hormones or antibiotics. You’ll also be enjoying fresher produce, typically picked within the last day or two, that’s more nutritious because it hasn’t lost flavor and nutrients sitting in the back of a shipping truck. You’ll have locally processed steaks that are lower in fat and cholesterol than grain-finished beef. Importantly, you’ll also be supporting local businesses that embrace ecologically sustainable farming practices and not factory farming.
Part of the excitement of eating locally is that you’ll find fresh seasonal foods that may not usually be in your kitchen. It presents an opportunity to get out of a cooking rut or rotation. Instead of typical Taco Tuesday, you can try grass-fed steak with locally grown vegetables and fresh farmhouse cheeses. At the farmers market you’ll also find locally made herb and spice blends, baked goods, and assorted prepared foods available for sale which varies by season.
The Prescott Farmers Market recommends visiting their website before your first visit to pick up some quick tips on making the most of the experience as well as making sure you don’t come home with smashed tomatoes or wilted lettuce. There you’ll also be able to meet the farmers that work hard every day to ensure that our community has access to affordable locally-sourced food. One important note for pet owners, the farmers market recently updated their policy and no longer allows dogs (except “Service dogs specifically trained to aid a person with a disability”), so our four-legged friends will need to stay at home.
For more information about how they support our community, and those aforementioned tips, visit Prescott Farmers Market at the link above. For more information about Dorn Homes and the communities we build in reach out to an Online Home Advisor today.
