First Lady Michelle Obama, along with the spouses of 31 other heads of state, toured the Stone  Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, NY on September 24th.  The visit was intended to draw attention to the Center’s mission of creating a healthy and sustainable food system that benefits us all.

Since opening in 2004, The Stone Barns Center has become increasingly integrated with the surrounding community, through cooking classes for children and adults, tours of the organic farm, a summer camp, an annual harvest festival, and an education program that has so far reached over 36,000 children.   It also is the location for the highly esteemed restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns, where, as Executive Chef Dan Barber says: “the menu is dictated by farmers.”

For those who don’t live a convenient driving distance from Pocantico Hills, NY, another way to become more knowledgeable about where your food comes from is to frequent your local farmers market.   If Michelle Obama had chosen  to stay in Westchester County until the next day, she could have visited the Tarrytown Farmers Market, where we’ve been appreciating the chance to purchase oatmeal walnut bread from Merediths Bread of Kingston, NY, hybrid cherry tomatoes from Gajeski Produce of Riverhead, NY; chicken sausage and farm-fresh eggs (but alas, no more hot dogs) from Dines Farm of Oak Hill, NY ; and apple cider from Concklins of Pomona, NY.

Even with their growing popularity, total farmers market sales in the U.S. represent only a fraction of 1% of total food industry sales through more traditional retail channels.  If you want to add to your knowledge of farmers markets, try this Planet Green quiz!