I love this time of year,
because the farmers’ market start to open back up and are flooded with piles of
fresh produce, handmade cheeses, breads, etc.
It gives you that self-righteous European-inspired connections with your
food. It also allows you to try
varieties that the grocery stores just don’t carry, or artisan recipes that
only small-batch baking and preparing can yield. At the very least, it’s a pretty good way to
log some steps on the ol’ pedometer.
I have always been kind of
drawn to eating more locally. Maybe it’s
the gardener in me? Maybe is the
pragmatic, live simply puritan in me? Either way, the farmers’ markets totally
scratch the itch. If you plan on
ditching a couple of trips to the grocery store in lieu of an experience with
your weekly food, here’s a couple of things to remember:
1. Take your own bags, containers, or even a cooler
You’ll be walking from
vendor to vendor, you don’t want to have
to cart your purchases around in flimsy plastic bags. Plus, those bags cost the vendors money, and
those prices get passed right onto you.
If you like to buy the specialty sausages, meats, eggs, etc., you may
want to consider a cooler. I personally
like the kind you can pull like luggage, and I have no issues with rolling it
around like an idiot. All the cool
people are doing it.
2. Timing is key
If you want the BEST
selection, plan to hit the pavement early in the morning. First thing in
the morning will give you the cream of the crop. You’ll get to handpick
the best of what the vendor has to offer. If you like to throw caution to
the wind and take your chances on what you’ll get, go LATE to get deeper
discounts. Vendors will start marking down their wares later in the day so
that they don’t have to cart things home.
3. Stock up on in season
items
If you don’t garden, or you
don’t have certain crops, say like your own apple tree, stock up when the
prices are low. Most vendors will even
offer you a bulk discount. That way, you
can go home and fire up the canner–you know, to get you through those long
winter produce droughts.
Read more
on... 8 Tips for Shopping at the
Farmers’ Market
Author: Mavis Butterfield
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