The Farmer's Market starts up again this week and the forecast is great for its Thursday afternoon opening so there's no excuse not to go out and spend some of those hard-earned dollars locally.

I know I'm looking forward to some fresh veggies, plump cherries, and that great pomegranate juice they had last year. Yes, sometimes the produce is more expensive than you can find at the grocery store, but it's worth it. The money all goes back into our community, rather than into some giant corporate bank account. It encourages locals to be involved and continue the farming lifestyle that is a trademark of Kern County. And we all know there is no substitute for fresh produce.

Sure, a tomato grown in a garden may have a blemish, or be unshapely. But I guarantee it was picked in the last day or two, spent no time in a giant bin on a semi truck, and will taste 100 times better than the best "hothouse tomato" from Albertsons.

With this in mind I challenge everyone out there to grab a handful of cash, a reusable bag of some sort, and walk, pedal, or carpool down to Railroad Park this Thursday between 4 and 7 pm and take the first steps to becoming a Tehachapi locavore - consuming only what's local for at least one afternoon.