The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) has long focused on the best ways to get food from the farm to our tables. The National Agricultural Library (NAL) documents USDA’s interest in local foods in its newest online exhibit, “Mailboxes, Mom and Pop Stands, and Markets: Local Foods Then and Now.”

The exhibit has three main sections: a review of the “Farm-To-Table” Movement of the early 1900s, a survey of Roadside Stands and Farmers Markets, and a list of current USDA local food initiatives from the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Project.

Are you new to the idea of local foods and want to learn more? The exhibit includes an overview of the “local foods” concept and a glossary.

Do you shop at the farmers market, buy local produce at the grocery, or grow your own fruits and vegetables? Explore the online exhibit to learn more about the history of the local foods movement and how it can benefit the environment and economy.

Visit UT Farmers Market, held Wednesdays from 4-7 p.m. at UT Gardens on Neyland Drive through October 21, 2015. Or search Pick Tennessee Products to find your nearest farmers market.

Photo courtesy of Meagan Perosha.