May
2008
How to Shop a Farmers’ Market
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
They’re good for the environment, they help pad farmers’ pockets, they increase fresh produce consumption and strengthen community bonds. Seriously, is there nothing a farmers’ market can’t do?
To follow up on all our recent chatter about the benefits of farmers’ markets, we found this helpful video about what you can expect from your local farmers’ market, the benefits of keeping it local and how to get the most out of your retail experience.
Some take-home messages:
1) Don’t be scared to ask questions – Farmers are generally happy to discuss their growing process and can also tell you first-hand which produce is the best (or even give you serving suggestions!)
2) Think farmers’ markets are just for vegetables? Think again! Many farmers’ markets are also home to vendors selling meats, cheese, eggs or other products.
3) Don’t write off your local farmers’ market in the winter months – even though growing conditions may be bleak, many farmers will bring in produce from more far-flung locales, allowing you access to the foods you want while still allowing them to earn a living.
4) Although it’s preferable to eat locally-grown produce, regional climates, seasonal changes and growing cycles can seriously limit your selections at certain times of the year. A better policy is to stock up when an item is in season, but be amenable to subsidizing your selections with out-of-season items.
5) Don’t get hung up on price. You may pay more for organic or local produce, but the freshness (sometimes picked that same day), value and the knowledge that your supporting your local farming industry (and decreasing your carbon footprint) should more than make up for the slightly higher cost.
If you’re interested in learning more about farmers’ markets in your area, visit this USDA web page.
Further Reading:
I always shop at my local farmer’s market whenever I can, and am also fortunate to have a daily local produce stand I can walk to. You just can’t compare the freshness and flavor to supermarket produce. Where else will you have an egg vendor who also sells Balut(steamed fertilized duck eggs w/embryo)! I always found the prices only slightly more but competitive with the supermarkets. I haven’t seen any increases but expect to see them due to higher fuel prices and the fact most of the participating farms are about 2-4 hours from the SF Bay Area.
In my experience, local produce that’s sustainably grown but not certified organic is usually priced somewhere between supermarket conventional and organic. I pay $2.85 for a dozen real free range eggs, about $1 more than conventional but almost $1 less than Eggland’s Best.
I am fortunate enough to have a farmer who sells year round although the winter selection of produce is limited to apples, squashes, potatoes, onions, and if the weather isn’t too nasty, kale from outside and spinach from an unheated greenhouse. I supplement with frozen vegetables rather than buy “fresh” stuff that’s been trucked in from elsewhere. It looks and tastes like spring now that the kale is finally gone for the season, replaced by asparagus, lettuce, and mesclun.
Strawberries will debut later this month as the first fresh fruit of the season. I’ll have to hurry and finish up that mushy stuff in the freezer this week.
You at Mark’s Daily Apple are blessed to enjoy California’s bountiful year-round agriculture.
This is great information! The tips are great and I shared them with my readers so they can have a good understanding of how to navigate through the market.