In many parts of the country, including here in the Inland Northwest, fruits and vegetables are at their peak now. Juicy peaches, scrumptious nectarines, green beans and berries, cucumbers and zucchini, zucchini, zucchini. And often the best places to pick them up are the local farmer’s markets. When you buy produce directly from a farmer, he or she gets to keep more of his profits instead of selling to a wholesaler. And you get fresher, often organic, produce that hasn’t been trucked halfway across the continent. It lets you opt out of the whole industrial-food behemoth, support your local farmers, and stay healthier to boot.

The primal nutrition site Mark’s Daily Apple offers some informative tips on shopping at a farmer’s market. Check it out, then grab your basket and your shopping list and hit the stands. The USDA offers an online farmers’ market directory here.

Bon appetit!