Buying from Your Local Farmer’s Market

One of my very favorite aspects of summer besides vacations, the pool, sun, flip flops, yes, this list could fill the page but one of my very favorites is the abundance of fresh fruits and veggies at local farmer’s markets. There is nothing like stopping and picking up fresh veggies that have just been picked that day or the day before. It gives your dishes a completely different taste when you use fresh, straight from the field veggies and fruits.

By Buying at your Local Farmer’s Market, you know the fruits and vegetables are not shipped from across the country, traveling for days in a tractor trailer. However, some Farmer’s Markets do supplement their produce by purchasing truckloads of vegetables. I always check for the signs that say Locally Grown or you can always ask if you are not sure. When vegetables are not in season, local farmer’s markets will typically have these brought in from other parts of the country. Be sure to check to make sure they are not on their last day or two of being fresh unless you are using it that day.

Supporting your local community and farmers is the main reason why I purchase from local Farmer’s Markets. With today’s mass markets, and our need to simplify our lives to one stop shopping, farmers have a difficult time in keeping up with society’s buying strategies. Combined with weather extremes during any given season, farmers need our support to keep their livelihood from becoming a thing of the past. By supporting my local community, it gives me a sense of pride that I am keeping the economy local as opposed to giving it to the big grocery corporations. They get enough of our money for meats, dairy, and other products. Share the love and give back to the community by helping your local farmers.

My biggest challenge with buying from the Farmer’s Market is that I overbuy! I get overly excited about all the freshness that I buy ingredients then run out of time to cook them over the next week. I have learned to stop by a couple of times a week, or really make sure I am meal planning and sticking with it, when I am on a shopping spree at my local market. You don’t want to spend the money buying all these great products only to have to toss them at the end of the next week because you didn’t use them.

Tip- Plan your meals for the next few days and only buy what you need for those meals. Or buy specific ingredients and plan your meals specifically around those vegetables and fruits.

We have many recipes coming to you this summer filled with fresh Farmer’s Markets fruits and vegetables!

What are your favorite items to buy at your local Farmer’s Market??