Farmers’ Market & Meals: Explore, Gather, Share

Create a meal with friends from start to finish! Learn where your food comes from, meet the farmers, and prepare a meal together. On the day of a farmers’ market, get together with friends or your family and peruse the market to see what produce is available. Based on the seasonal produce you find at the market, be inspired to create a meal together. Cooking seasonally with ingredients found at a farmers’ market help to connect to the seasons and the history of New England by understanding when and how local produce impact our meals and food traditions.

Stop by different market booths and meet the farmers that grow your food. Introduce yourself! Perhaps mention what you plan to make that evening. Ask them for tips on how to prepare their seasonal produce and swap recipes with others. Purchasing food directly from a local farm is part of a storytelling experience. From their land and hands to your hands and kitchen, it all becomes woven together into a tale of sustainability and local community. 

After you have assembled all of your items, gather with your companions to prepare a meal together. It’s an opportunity for intergenerational sharing and learning; this is an activity that allows for people of all ages to participate! Perhaps some are responsible for setting the table and creating a beautiful space, and others are chopping vegetables, braising meat, or baking bread; there are many tasks available for everyone to have fun and contribute!

At the meal, take a moment to express appreciation towards each other, the land that nourishes us, the farmers that grew the food, and the experience of being together. Capture moments of laughter and connection and send a candid picture or two to the farmer who grew your food. Remind them of the important work they do to bring people together through food, stories, and sharing.

[Photo credit: (c) Sienna Wildfield]

Download our May/June edition of Learning Ahead: Cultural Itinerary for Western Massachusetts for embedded learning opportunities found in cultural resources that exist within the geography, history, and cultural traditions of Western Massachusetts.

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