You might have heard about online grocery shopping, which allows you to shop from the comfort of your home and offers convenient delivery right to your door. An online farmers market works the same way, connecting you to fresh and local produce, meats, and other products.
There are plenty of reasons to consider getting your food from local farmers. Eating locally means supporting small businesses and farms right in your neighborhood. It may also be more sustainable, reducing the need to ship food to grocery stores across the country Food grown locally may have a higher nutritional content too. So, how does it work?
Online farmers’ markets organize products from a variety of farmers and merchants in one central place. You can buy from farmers online just like you would on any other eCommerce store. Your local farmer’s market may already have a digital presence, so it’s a good idea to see if they offer any online or virtual shopping. Some even have an app.
How to buy from online farmers’ markets
When it comes to using apps or a website to buy from farmers online, you’ll most likely need to enter your zip code to find options available near you. Not every app serves every area, so you may want to research what is available near you. Here are a few options to look into:
WhatsGood
By shopping with the WhatsGood app, you can get connected to locally sourced fresh produce and buy from farmers online. Discover new vendors and seasonal food, including fishermen and artisans. You can have your order delivered or pick it all up in one place.
Harvie
If you’ve ever been a member of a CSA, you may be familiar with farm shares: a box of fresh produce on a weekly or monthly basis. Harvie operates in largely the same way. You can also customize your share to get more of the fruits and veggies you like and less of the ones you don’t. They’ll even send you recipes for the produce you receive, taking all the guesswork out of what to make for dinner.
MarketWagon
By organizing according to categories, MarketWagon allows you to find the products and types of food you want to buy from farmers online. You can also choose from specially curated boxes. The Market Sampler Box includes some of the most popular items near you, including meat, baked goods, and produce. The Veggie Lover’s Box includes nine popular and in-season fruits, vegetables, and vegan products. You can also browse the online farmers market according to what is popular among other shoppers in your area or new and seasonal items.
CropSwap
CropSwap allows anyone to sell produce in an online farmers market, which means you can get hyper-local fruits and veggies. The app allows sellers to trade, sell, or even donate produce from their gardens and farms. Growers keep 100% of the profits too, which keeps your money in your local economy.
Online farmers’ markets can help you get fresh produce and artisan goods from a convenient digital marketplace. They also keep money in your local economy and help support local businesses and farms. Does your community have a local online farmers market? Let us know in the comments and we’ll give them a shoutout on social media!
For more on living with technology, be sure to check out more articles on the CenturyLink Discover blog.
