Eating your daily fruits and vegetables is a key part of a healthy diet, and choosing locally grown food can take it a step further. "Locally grown" simply means the food was raised close to where it is sold. Buying local helps the environment and the local economy, but the health benefits alone make it worth trying.
Where to Find Local Food
- Fredville Farmers Market, open from March through December
- An online directory of farms and markets that helps you find locally grown food near you
- A local food co-op
Did You Know?
- Local food may carry fewer chemicals. Large-scale factory farming often relies on more pesticides and fertilizers, while smaller local growers generally use far less.
- It's fresher and tastes better. Local produce is harvested at its peak. Food from far away may spend days on trucks or planes and sit in a warehouse before it reaches the grocery store shelf. Compare a tomato from a nearby farm with one shipped across the country and you'll taste a world of difference.
- It holds on to more nutrients. Produce loses nutrients as time passes after harvest. Because local fruits and vegetables are picked ripe, travel a short distance and are sold straight to you, they keep more of their nutritional value.
- It's easier on the environment. Food commonly travels thousands of miles from farm to store and needs extra packaging for the trip. Buying local saves energy and cuts packaging waste, and it helps preserve farmland and open space nearby.
- It supports the local economy. With lower shipping, packaging and other costs, a bigger share of what you spend goes to the farmer and stays in the community.
Food Safety
Tips for keeping your kitchen clean and your food safe at home.
MyPlate
Form healthy eating habits one small goal at a time. The free Start Simple with MyPlate app lets you choose daily food goals, track your progress in real time and earn badges as you go. You can learn more on the federal MyPlate nutrition site.
Healthy Recipe Ideas
Each recipe below is available as a printable PDF. Many feature ingredients from vendors at the Fredville Farmers Market. See more on the market recipes page.
Breakfast and Brunch
- Pancakes with pineapple, banana and pecans
- French toast with cinnamon and raisins, served with peaches, blackberries and a strawberry-mango syrup
- Veggie quiche
- Spring vegetable frittata with asparagus, spinach and cherry tomatoes
- Frittata with Hatch chiles, sunburst squash and Old Barn Cheddar Cheese
- Roasted strawberry muffins made with almond flour
Soups and Stews
- Broccoli and cheddar soup
- Turnip soup with charred potatoes
- Chilled cucumber and Hatch chile soup with roasted yellow corn
- Yellow curry soup (vegetarian) loaded with green beans, zucchini, squash and potatoes, finished with cilantro yogurt
- Smoked chicken and Hatch chile stew from Cottonwood Bend Ranch, with new potatoes, corn, black beans and the ranch's pepper jack cheese
Salads and Sides
- Salad of red leaf lettuce with cucumbers, tomatoes and roasted red peppers
- Roasted sweet potatoes paired with pickled baby beets
- Warm sweet potato salad
- Watermelon and Hatch chile salad with red and yellow tomatoes, lemon and Live Oak Olive Oil
- Tomato and watermelon salad with Silverleaf Creamery feta and a cucumber-lemon vinaigrette
- Tomato and cucumber salad with basil ribbons and a sweet red onion vinaigrette
- Pea salad with purple hull and creamer peas, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, grilled okra and onion
- Creamer pea and lima bean salad with tomatoes, roasted peppers and grilled red onions, dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- Butternut squash, Asian style, with pickled red beets
- Grilled asparagus with rosemary aioli
- Tossed mixed greens and tomatoes in a lemon-pepper balsamic vinaigrette
- Vegetable noodles made from zucchini, yellow squash and cucumber in a spicy sesame-ginger dressing
Main Dishes
- Crispy chicken tenders made in the air fryer
- Cajun chicken pasta
- Avocado and black bean enchiladas
- Grilled grass-fed ribeye
- Grilled German sausage from Brookhollow Farms
- Corn Husk Tamale Co. pork tamales with ancho chile
- Corn Husk Tamale Co. cheese tamales with a relish of tomato, roasted corn and roasted beets
- Corn Husk Tamale Co. cheese and jalapeño tamales with a Hatch chile, cucumber and tomato salad
- Old Pasture Beef flat iron steak served with sautéed greens, chile-cumin ranch and Hearthstone Bakery jalapeño-cheddar bread
- Grilled pork chops with a black bean and corn tamale, sautéed green beans, sunburst squash and tomato-cilantro relish
- Ginger-honey glazed seared chicken over a stir-fry of seasonal vegetables
- Southwestern veggie penne with Hatch chile sauce, roasted peppers, grilled red onion, and zucchini and yellow squash seasoned with cumin
- Open-faced Honeycomb Market sliders on Hearthstone Bakery jalapeño-cheddar bread with a roasted corn and grilled okra relish
- Seared Honeycomb Market beef tips with new potatoes, vegetables, grilled Millstone bread and a red wine au jus
Snacks and Starters
- Bruschetta topped with roasted beets and caramelized onions
- Dip of tomato, eggplant and roasted corn
- Grilled Millstone Pioneer Bread with peaches marinated in honey and balsamic
- Kale chips seasoned with sea salt and garlic
Desserts and Drinks
- Lemon yogurt pound cake
- Chewy low-fat chocolate chip cookies
- Dessert nachos
- Warm apple bread from Hearthstone Bakery, served with grilled grapefruit, eggnog anglaise and a pumpkin, cranberry and pecan salsa
- Grilled pumpkin bread from Hearthstone Bakery topped with salted whipped cream and caramelized Golden Delicious apples
- Freestone peaches, cantaloupe and raspberries over toasted almond yogurt
- Strawberry-mango limeade from the market's guest chef
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