During these cold winter months, I’ve found myself daydreaming about spending sunny Saturday mornings at the farmers market. There’s something to be said about walking along the stalls and taking in the vibrant colors and brilliant smells of fresh produce. It’s a culinary paradise! It’s true that I’ll have to wait patiently for that dream to become a reality once more, but the good news is that there are still opportunities to visit farmers markets right now.

While visits to the grocery store for tomatoes and green beans will still be a weekly occurrence until summer comes, most markets still have a significant amount to offer. Many sell plentiful root vegetables, apples, cheeses, baked goods, and specialty foods that you likely won’t be able to find in a normal supermarket.

But is it worth making the extra trip? The answer is, absolutely. There are plenty of reasons why you should support local farmers and artisans, beyond just the benefits of supporting your community.

If you’re anything like me, you adore trying new foods. It can be exciting to pick up a new vegetable and race home to try and figure out what to do with it.

Even with Google on my side, sometimes I’m just not certain how to cook an item and the flavor falls short of my expectations. This is where purveyors at farmers markets can be one of your strongest allies.

It’s true that the Internet is a great resource when learning how to cook, but purveyors can be an absolute wealth of knowledge for developing recipes. If you’re not sure how you would prepare an item, all you have to do is ask the experts!

Can I make mashed potatoes with sweet potatoes? What’s the difference between acorn squash and buttercup squash? These farmers and artisans can provide you the information you need to keep expanding your culinary know-how.

With such a wide variety of produce that you often won’t find at a normal grocery store, you’ll likely come up with some exciting new creations!

Let’s not forget to mention one of the greatest benefits. Local produce is going to be significantly more flavorful than what you can find in a grocery store.

In order to ensure that the consumer can get whatever they need at any time of the year, large grocers need to bring food in from hundreds of miles away. This gives us the freedom to cook just about whatever we’d like year-round, but the trip does lead to degradation in flavor.

While farmers markets may not be able to provide absolutely everything year-round, what can be provided is going to be much fresher and will rely less heavily on preservatives to keep the food in quality condition.

Let me tell you, the difference in flavor between store-bought vegetables and fresh vegetables is absolutely staggering.

It might take a bit of research to work with some new foods that you might not be familiar with, but when you taste the difference, you won’t regret it. So get out there and challenge yourself to work with what the market has to offer! Cook with the seasons and support your local farmers and artisans.

Wondering where to go to start your farmers market adventures? Though the Domes are closed, the Milwaukee County Winter Farmers’ Market is still open to the public every Saturday from now until April 9. Check out http://www.mcwfm.org/ for more information. Happy cooking!