Fresh markets

There are many health, economic and environmental reasons to buy locally grown produce directly from the folks who do the growin'. One way to do so is to take advantage of farmer's markets that are held throughout the greater Boston area, including one here in East Boston at Constitution Beach on Saturdays from, I believe, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (There is also one on Thursdays at Revere Beach from 12 noon to 6 p.m.)

Last week I stopped by the Eastie market and took the accompanying photos. There were three tents set up toward the northeast end of the beach with sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers and a number of other fruits and vegetables for sale. I'm hoping more people turn out in the coming weeks so the farmers keep returning. I'd rather directly support local growers instead of giving my money to supermarkets, most of which are owned by giant national and international corporations.

Another way to support local farmers is called community-supported agriculture, which has caught on in many places around the country in recent years. An individual pays an up-front amount of money (usually between $200 and $500) and then receives a weekly share of the vegetables, fruits and herbs that a farm produces. While that is a good chunk of money, "subscribers" receive a pile of fresh food each week, generally from mid-spring deep into autumn. If one is raising a family or splits the bounty with friends then that is a fair amount and a good investment to insure receiving top-quality produce.

With growing concern about food imported from places with regulation that is frighteningly lax (such as China) and a growing realization that processed food products often contain substances that just are not good for us to eat in large amounts (an absurdly large percentage of items in supermarkets contain, for example, high fructose corn syrup), it is time that all of us looked more closely at what we eat and insist that it be good and good for us.