New Jersey's farm markets are up and running for the 2016 season.
You wouldn't know it from the daily weather report - rarely has a spring felt as chilly and dank as this one - but New Jersey's farmers markets are up and running, in all their glorious abundance.
These outdoor markets dot our state through Thanksgiving, offering a treat for all the senses.
In the past few years, their numbers have exploded as farmers have gotten savvy to the advantages of selling directly to the consumer, and consumers have come to appreciate the benefits of buying locally grown strawberries, melons, asparagus and the like.
In addition to being kid- and pet-friendly, venues such as the Princeton Farmers Market on Route 31 North, and the Clinton Farmers Market at that township's fire hall, play a vital role in the regional economy.
The Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture, a California-based nonprofit, notes that with large agribusinesses dominating food production, small family farms often have a tough time competing ... and surviving.
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"Buying directly from farmers gives them a better return for their produce, and gives them a fighting chance in today's globalized economy," the advocacy group says.
For the discriminating cook, access to the freshest seasonal produce is a boon. So is being introduced to some exotic mushroom you've never tried, or an heirloom tomato in a vivid hue you've never imagined.
And if you have no idea how to prepare that newly discovered delight, its grower is right at hand to offer some timely suggestions.
What we particularly appreciate is that while food you find in the grocery chains is often highly processed and grown with pesticides, hormones and antibiotics, and then trucked thousands of miles to get to you, most of what you'll see as you browse the outdoor stalls is minimally treated - and often picked just hours earlier.
Maybe best of all, today's farmers market has transformed itself into a vibrant community center.
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Here, once a week, you can browse among the stalls, chatting with the vendors and occasionally running into a neighbor you haven't seen all winter.
Here, your children can interact with the men and women who cultivate the food they eat, and they can pick out something new to try for that night's dinner. Purple cauliflower, anyone?
Here, you can get up-close and personal with the passing of seasons, appreciating the tender pea shoots of spring, the hearty tomatoes of summer and the graceful swan-like squashes of autumn.
Farmers markets put the garden back in the Garden State, and we're eternally grateful that they're a viable part of the Jersey landscape.