Indulge in a mouthful of fresh fruit and support local farmers in Indiana at the same time.
Few things say "summer" like biting into a ripe, fresh berry. Because Indiana is home to hundreds of fresh farmer's markets, there is no point in buying a plastic clam-shell container of week-old California-grown blackberries from the grocery store when you could buy a pint of freshly-picked, locally grown blackberries. You can purchase fresh blackberries from a farmer's market, pick them by hand from a pick-your-own farm, or even find them in certain grocery stores. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Purchase your blackberries during the summer. This is when blackberries are in season and will be at their freshest.
2. Find out whether there is a pick-your-own farm near you that includes blackberries. This option will get you the freshest berries, as they will literally go directly from the bush to your car. Consult the Indiana Local Food Guide, available on the Indianapolis Food, Farm and Family Council website (indyfoodfarmfamily.org), or PickYourOwn.org. Both include directories of pick-your-own farms in Indiana. Call ahead to find out whether the farm near you has blackberries.
3. Visit a nearby farmer's market. Although these blackberries will not be quite as fresh as berries you pick yourself, they will be fresher than imported berries. A variety of websites list Indiana farmer's markets by location, including the Indianapolis Food, Farm and Family Council (indyfoodfarmfamily.org) and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (in.gov/isda). If you are not certain whether the farmer's market includes blackberries, call ahead.
4. Visit or call your grocery store to see if they sell locally grown blackberries. Some independent grocery stores, and even certain national chains, sell locally grown produce alongside their imported foods. Locally grown blackberries will be fresher than imported blackberries because it took less time to transport them to the store. Yet they may not be as fresh as blackberries from a farmer's market or a pick-your-own farm.
Tags: farmer market, blackberries from, grown blackberries, locally grown, pick-your-own farm, blackberries from farmer