Every trip I’ve made to the Ithaca Farmer’s Market, I never really took time to appreciate what was around me. Sure, I was excited to try the diversity of foods and products each vendor sold, but I never took a step back to examine how special the Ithaca Farmer’s Market truly was. But that changed when I traveled to the farmer’s market with my fellow Rose Scholars this past weekend. Before we made our trip to the farmer’s market, we were told various facts, such as the number of vendors there are (about 150), and that thousands of people make the trip to the farmer’s market each day. The one fact that stood out to me, however, was that every vendor comes from about 30 miles of Ithaca. This fact makes the farmer’s market truly special to me, since the funds from each purchase goes to someone around the town, not to someone in a corporate office possibly thousands of miles away. This also made me think that, not only was I buying fresh and healthy foods, but I was also supporting the community by buying local. The food I usually purchase comes from a grocery store, which offers foods from all over the world instead of locally sourced goods. So now when I go to the farmer’s market, I will take time to step back and appreciate how special it is to be supporting local businesses while also receiving fresh and healthy food. If it weren’t for Sam and Shiv explaining the rich history of the Ithaca Farmer’s Market during our trip, I don’t think I would reach my new level of fondness for this wonderful place right here in our community.