Health Matters with TSET: Fresh finds at farmer’s markets in Oklahoma

There are more than 50 farmers' market locations across the state, giving Oklahomans lots of options for fresh, locally grown produce, meat and eggs.

In today's Health Matters with TSET, Amy Slanchik talks to people about why they prefer to shop at the farmer's market.

Colorful Produce

A dietitian will tell you that color is nutrition, and there's plenty of rich colors to be found at the farmer's market.

"When you look and you see all the fresh food and all the beautiful colors, it's a very happy time,” Tulsa resident Joanna Ferguson said.

"The flavor is so much better all the way across, from the meat to the vegetables, there's no comparison,” Rae Blakley said.

Shopping Fresh for Health Reasons

Ferguson has been going to the Tulsa Farmers' Market since the 90s.

She said as someone with a rare autoimmune disease, she pays a lot of attention to her food.

"If I'm not careful, it can make my body flare up. And so when I buy fresh at the market, I know that I don't have anything to worry about,” Ferguson said.

Vendors Proud to Serve Their Communities

Blakely Family Farms from Oologah offers a lot of meat options for customers. Co-owner Rae Blakely says, they are options she and her husband are proud to serve to their community.

"I know everything that my animals have consumed,” she said. “And our cattle and hogs have been there since birth, so we know everything that's been done to them and everything about them."

Chefs and restaurant owners come to the market, too, like Nancy Bruce, who owns Lambrusco'z in Tulsa.

“Kale, for sure. We use kale to garnish all of our catering trays. And so we go through a lot of it. And it's just amazing cause you get it here, and it lasts three weeks, four weeks, because they just picked it."

Local Flavor

Penni Shelton with the Tulsa Farmers’ Market said only products grown in Oklahoma are sold at this market.

"I love it because produce begins to lose its nutritional value the longer it's been around, so this is really the healthiest way to feed yourself and your family,” Shelton said. 

"You get to know the people that you're buying it from, and you know they're growing it,” Bruce said. “And I don't want to grow it. I don't like dirt under my fingernails."

To learn more about the Tulsa Farmers’ Market, click here.

To learn more about the Oklahoma City Farmers Public Market, click here.

For a complete list of farmers’ markets in Oklahoma, visit Shape Your Future’s website here.