Farmer’s markets can be intimidating if you don’t go frequently. Do you buy from one vendor or do you shop around? The farmer’s market is a great way to support local farmers and eat fresh food. If you’re lucky to live in an area that has a thriving farmer’s market, you can easily make this part of your weekly meal plan routine. You’ll find five helpful tips below.
- PLAN YOUR MEALS BEFORE YOU GO
If you go into the farmer’s market with a game plan, you should have no problem getting a week’s worth of fresh food there. Pick out the recipes you want to make for the week and work backwards creating your list. Most farmer’s markets have veggies, herbs, and more that will help fulfill your recipes. Don’t forget to put snacks on your list as well!
- FINDING THE BEST DEALS
If you’re going to save money, go in the final hour of the market. When you go late, the vendors are going to offer pretty significant discounts so they don’t have to drive home with a ton of produce they’ll end up composting or feeding to livestock. Another helpful hint don’t skip the market in bad weather, as vendors are more apt to give deals then too!
- DON’T BE AFRAID TO SHOP AROUND
If you want the best selection of goods, go as early as possible. This will ensure you have a big selection to choose from. When budget is a factor, there’s no reason to be shy about talking to other vendors to understand all prices at the market. While the difference in price may be because one farm is organic and the other isn’t, it never hurts to shop around.
- DON’T FOCUS ON A FARM’S ‘ORGANIC’ STATUS
It can be really expensive to get certified organic by the USDA. It’s a long, tedious process to complete the certification. A lot of small farms aren’t able to afford that cost, especially if they’re just starting out. The best solution- talk to the farmer! They’re usually more than happy to talk to you about how they grow their food and why they don’t have their certification.
- BUY THE UGLY VEGGIES
We’re used to seeing pristine veggies at the grocery store, but this isn’t always the case at farmer’s markets. Embrace the earth soaked veggies, as you know they were just picked that week or as early as that morning! Many veggies come with greens, etc. For instance beets are often sold at the market with their stems attached. You can cook the beets and the beet greens to enhance your meal in various ways from one veggie!