Are you having a hard time keeping up with which food recall is currently in the headlines? (Is it lettuce, green onions, or spinach this week?) Or are you looking for something with a little more flavor than the prepackaged, everything tastes the same, produce at the local superstore? Maybe your neighbor gave you a garden tomato this summer and you were reminded of those lovely, luscious, bursting with flavor, tastes you grew up with and you have been craving more ever since. Perhaps you just want to support your local economy and reduce your carbon footprint by buying locally. Then the Buckner Farmers and Crafts Market may be your solution.

In just its second year, this Saturday morning event has garnered a loyal following of shoppers looking for the sweetest, freshest, mostly healthful produce around. It has been a tough year for local farmers. With the deep freeze late in the spring, unrelenting drought, and record setting high temperatures, local farmers have struggled to keep the gardens producing. But McClellan’s devoted shoppers show up early Saturday morning and are rewarded with produce selections including tomatoes, peas, beans, okra, peppers, watermelon, sweet potatoes, squash, and homemade canned goods.

For many shoppers buying local foods just makes sense. It is a way to support the local economy by supporting their neighbors that are willing to share their hard work and gardening expertise. Because the food is grown and picked locally it is also guaranteed to be fresher and retain more nutritional value than the produce at the big box store that travels an average of 1,000 to 1,500 miles before landing on the store shelf.

For some it is a lifestyle choice, a rejection of the fast food world we live in and a conscious effort to seek out local and regional foods. Those who prefer to eat local food sometimes call themselves "localvores" or "locavores". The concept is often related to the slogan "Think globally, act locally'', common in green politics that is once again becoming trendy.

Perhaps you are looking for a special gift or a unique toy or just something not stamped Made In China. The Buckner Farmers and Crafts Market is still the place to shop. Crafts include everything from turned wood bowls, pens, birdhouses, jewelry, dresses, and kids toys. All vendors offer items that are locally grown or produced.

The Buckner Farmers and Crafts Market is a joint effort of the Buckner Center, Calhoun County Extension Service and McClellan JPA. Located in front of the Buckner Center, near the historic parade grounds, it is open every Saturday from 8 am to Noon from May through October 13th.