Cherokee Purples

They're known as heirloom varieties -- fruits and vegetables (wherever you stand on that tomato debate) that have changed only by nature's design for sometimes thousands of years.

The Cherokee Purple, for instance, was one of my first introductions to heirloom variety foods and was said to have been a century old when cultivator Craig LeHoullier brought it to the general public in 1990. Of course, by general public I mean the few people in the country that are aware that there are other types of tomatoes in existence, especially ones with a more rich, vibrant and full taste. I mean a taste that put grocery store tomatoes to shame and would make corporate grocers shake in their loafers.

And why does a tomato or an apple have anything to do with environmental issues? Well, really, for the sake of this topic, it doesn't. But what does is where you can purchase these rare gems -- the farmer's market. You will most likely not see heirloom foods in your local chain grocery store anytime soon, and there are a lot of practical reasons for that if you're a commercial farmer, but if you live by a town of any decent size, you can find them at your local farmer's market. If not there, then the town over. They can be found, and although you may ask yourself "why would I search all over the county to find a tomato?" I tell you now: it is worth it.

So here we go full circle -- the heirloom tomatoes are found at the farmer's market, which is good for the environment because you're buying local, and when you buy local, you use less resources (gas to ship it, electricity to process it, packaging to "protect" it) to get it to your dinner table.

The benefits of eating locally are tremendous for you, your local farmer, economy, the environment, EVERYONE. Plus the food is much more tasty than what you would purchase at your local grocer.

Heirlooms aren't the only items you can purchase at the farmer's market. At the Warrensburg farmer's market held every Wednesday from 4-6 p.m. and Saturday from 7-10 a.m. on North Street, I pick up melons, squash, peaches, jams, soap, candles, cards, bouquets, garlic, pesto, salsa, baked goods, pottery and the list goes on. You can get great, unique and tasty items that you could not purchase anywhere else, support local citizens and know that you're saving some resources for your kids to use when they one day need to drive to their local farmer's market.