Did You Know There's A Helpful Search Engine To Find The Nearest Farmer's Market?

I can't believe there was ever a time when I didn't buy most of my produce at farmer's markets, not to mention fish, meats, bread, juice and more. Just this past weekend, I visited a Brooklyn market, where I bought spinach, in-season asparagus and a package of lamb merguez sausage, which went into a delicious couscous.

Last month, we also started Food Republic's #FRMarketWatch campaign on Instagram — and I urge you to keep adding to our stockpile of farmer's market and greenmarket shots from around the world.

Need inspiration to go to your nearest market? Today, I caught a Food + Tech Connect tweet about a USDA site which features a search engine. You just type in a ZIP code, and the data site offers up the nearest markets within a selected radius, with information on the types of purveyors, the opening dates and times and contact details. It's brilliant. Now, no matter where you in the U.S., you can find a place to buy fresh, farmed veggies, fruits and more.

Check out the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service site for the search engine. And remember, tag your photos on Instagram with #FRMarketWatch.