Knoxville — Eating fresh, local food has never been easier in Tennessee.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture says farmers markets in the state have nearly tripled since 2000.
"(We have) red okra, we have green okra," Logan Zavels said.
Logan Zavels and her family farm grow a bit of everything.
"Peppers," Zavels continues to say. "We have a bit of everything."
They sell their produce at farmers markets like the Ebenezer Road Market in west Knoxville.
"We do seven farmers markets a week," Zavels said. "It's one of our biggest incomes."
Statewide, numbers show there's a demand.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture says from 2000 to 2014, Tennessee led the nation in farmers market growth. It had fewer than 50 markets before 2000, which grew to 154 in 2014.
"These people want to support their local farms," Wayne Metheny said.
Metheny is the president of FARM—Farmers Association For Retail Marketing.
He says farmers markets are growing because people want to know where their food comes from.
"All these chemicals that you can't pronounce anymore," Metheny said. "It gives people a concern. You know, what's happening in the environment? Are we putting that into our body?"
He and Zavels agree: Buying local also gives the farmer and customer a sense of community.
"When you're putting back into your community, it just goes right back to everyone else," Zavels said.
Zavels says she's encouraged about the future of farmers markets.
She says parents teaching their kids about farming at a young age has really helped.