It’s not a secret that I don’t really like to leave my house. I prefer to grocery shop from my smartphone. I get our favorite Stonyfield yogurt pouches and snack packs delivered to my front door. The last thing I want to do is drag my kids out to the grocery store where they will most definitely beg me for extras or make the trip longer than it needs to be. 

However, we did just make our first little excursion to our local farmers market and I must admit it was delightful. So much so that I think we’ll make the trip a regular thing, and I’ll even keep bringing my kids along. 

Here are five reasons I think you should totally take your kids to a farmers market. 

1. Support local farmers

These are people in our own communities who are growing and making things from their home to ours. These are their businesses and in some cases their livelihood. It feels good knowing that we’re helping support their families as they’re helping to feed ours. I’ve been working with Stonyfield for the last year and learning about their mission to support family organic dairy farmers and this experience helped me understand that even more. 

2. It helps with picky eating

I loved watching my kids’ expressions as farmers at their stands reached out with some samples. My big kids made a face and looked at me curiously when a woman handed them a sprout to try. They both were happy to gobble down a taste of the little bunt cakes.

Lee Lee tasted her first peach right in front of the Fredericksburg peach stand. And I was coming up behind them buying bits of the things they loved. The cool thing is, the more they’re introduced to these new things, the more likely they are to try a taste, and the more likely it is to help curb some of their pickiness. 

3. The food tastes good

I kid you not, that was the freshest, juicietst, most delicious peach I’d ever tasted. Nothing like farm fresh food that hasn’t traveled far to reach our table. 

4. Get to talk to farmers about what they do

It was a really neat experience for my kids (and I) to talk to the local farmers about what they grow and make. My daughter loved chatting with the bakers about their process and was trying to sucker me into ordering some custom cakes for her. We learned what some new foods are that we hadn’t tried before and overall just learned a few new things about farming. 

Stonyfield believes families should know where their food is coming from, how it’s made, and that it’s sourced from organic materials. We got to talk about that with these local farmers. 

5. It’s fun!

This was far from a boring experience. I didn’t have to worry about my kids running around the store and stressing me out. There was live music, some handmade popsicles and lots to see and do in a family-friendly atmosphere. Definitely a great bonding experience and a great reason to take your kids to a farmers market.

Now that we dove in I’m looking forward to checking out some of the other local farmers markets in our area and seeing what they’re all about. Maybe eventually more of my grocery shopping will be done outside in the sunshine at a local farmers market.