One of the best resources available to find fruits, vegetables and products that are locally produced is to visit your area farmers' market if you're fortunate enough to live near one.

There are several benefits to choosing a farmers' market over your local supermarket. For one thing, because the products are locally made, shopping at the farmers' market reduces the food miles that you rack up whenever you buy something that has been made far from where you live and shipped via truck or plane to store shelves. Instead you can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables and many artisan goods that were made within the vicinity of your home and therefore, probably didn't travel as far to get to you. There's also a pretty good chance there will be minimal packaging on the produce and that it will contain less chemicals, because local sellers won't need to preserve their fruits and vegetables the way growers who are shipping theirs will.

You also have the opportunity to support local farmers, growers, beekeepers, producers - well you probably get the picture. If you're going to buy a product anyway, why not support the individuals and businesses that operate in your area and buy it locally?

Over the next couple of days we'll shine the Ecollo spotlight on some farmers' markets in North America, but do be sure to search for one close to you using resources such as the Local Harvest website (which you can visit after the jump).

» Local Harvest