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Top Ten Tips for Milking The Farmers' Market
1. Don't Buy
Anything!
Until you've walked the loop of the market, that is. Ok, perusing the
market is more fun while munching on a cookie or some sweet berries, so
go ahead and grab your favorite immediately - but otherwise, take the
time to check out everyone's market stand before deciding what to buy.
After all, pricing, variety and quantities can vary from booth to booth
and you don't want to shortchange yourself of the best selection and the
specials of the day.
2. Find the Worm.
The best stuff goes first and the early bird gets it all. Its not just
the best looking produce that goes - sometimes it's a vendor's entire
stock! Cookies, breads, popular fruits, eggs, steaks, pork chops - once
they're gone, they're gone. One of the drawbacks of open air markets is
that it isn't possible to "check the back" for more. Get there early
for the best selection.
3.
Be Questionable!
Ask a lot of questions. Ask vendors for their names, the names of their
farms, where their farm is located and how they grow the produce you
eat. Ask them for their recipes, ideas and opinions of the food they
grow. Ask for produce you love but don't see - sometimes farmers grow
particular crops and they don't bring their harvest to the farmers'
market because they don't think there is a demand...once the farmer
learns you're looking for something, they'll be able to help you.
Similarly, farmers decide what to plant the following year based on what
people have been asking for during the farmers' market season- let them
know what you like! Market managers have lots of resources as well. We
carry tons of information on cooking tips, nutritional values and
recipes - if you don't see it out on the table, just ask! Need help
juggling your shopping bags or want to know if there will be anything
new next week? Ask!
4.
Contain Yourself!
Bring sturdy shopping bags, coolers, boxes - even wheeled suitcases or
baby prams! Most vendors do offer plastic shopping bags, but they tend
to be flimsy and not very dependable. Not only do you want to avoid
chasing escaped cabbages down Main Street, but plastic bags have a nasty
way of cutting the circulation off in your hands and you can't sling
them over your shoulder like a good quality canvas bag. Plus they're
pretty bad for the environment, something we need to tend to if we're
going to keep farming and eating. Suitcases and prams sound silly, I
know, but they do help since there aren't any shopping carts at the
farmers' market. Wheeled coolers are the best thing though, since you
will also need to think about keeping some foods cool in the summer
months. That's right...
5.
Keep Your Cool, Man.
Keep a cooler with you on market days - either in the trunk of your
car, bungeed to the back of your bike, or under your desk in your
cubicle. Drop some frozen ice packs in the cooler as you head out the
door and keep it shut until market time. Greens and other produce will
often perk up in a bath of ice water if you forget to keep it cool , but
that piece of swordfish you bought could make you sick (not to mention
unpopular) if you aren't prepared to keep it chilled until you get
home. If you are going straight home, that's not usually a
problem...but even if you intend to go straight home, you can allow
yourself to get sidetracked by sidewalk sales, mimes in the park and
fender benders without much worry if you have a cooler.
6.
Cash In.
Have you seen that credit card commercial where everything in a garden
shop is like a forgotten scene from "Singing in the Rain" until some
chump pulls out cash, the record skips, and the whole scene falls
apart? The farmers' market version is the exact opposite - everything
gets held up if there's a shortage of cash and coins. While some
vendors are able to take credit cards and personal checks, the majority
of vendors only take cash. Credit card use often comes with a minimum
charge and verifying transactions is slow and primitive outdoors. Large
bills are hard to break and exact change is always appreciated. (Short
on cash? Massachusetts Farmers' Markets participate in both the WIC
Farmers' Market Nutrition Program and the Senior Farmers' Market
Nutrition Program which provide eligible recipients with vouchers they
can bring to market and use to purchase food. )
7.
Kid Around.
Children love farmers' markets. What a wonderful way to introduce the
kids you know to the origins of their food, the true flavors of heritage
and heirloom foods, and healthful eating patterns. Ever hear that you
should only try to shop the perimeters of the supermarket? That's
because that's where merchants place all the whole foods like produce,
eggs, milk, meats and loaves of bread. Most of what you get at the
farmers' market is "perimeter food" - minimally or unprocessed foods.
That's good because it's hard to fit a lot of glitzy advertising aimed
at children on a blueberry or on the side of a cherry tomato. The stuff
in the center aisles of the grocery store - well, there's plenty of room
there for a cartoon clown to sell "Corn Syrup Crunch" to your kids.
Besides, you don't want your children to grow up thinking that peaches
are supposed to be hard and bland and tomatoes mealy and deadly!
8. Weather it out.
We do. The farmers' market is there rain or shine. Really. Farmers
embrace the weather - sunny days are nice, but don't mean much for crops
unless they're complimented by rain. Wear good shoes, sunglasses,
sunblock, hats, dress in layers and carry an umbrella for protection
from rain or sun. Bring a water bottle for yourself and some for the
kids too - it can get hot out there, especially if your market takes
place on asphalt. And if you do get caught in the rain, duck under the
market manager's tent until the storm passes.
9.
Try, try, try again!
Sample everything vendors are willing to offer and make a point to try
something new each week. Definitely try funky things you've never even
heard of to expand your edible options, but also take the time to retry
the old staples. Apples, tomatoes, squash and lettuce may all be
familiar foods but the varieties are endless at the farmers' market.
Don't be turned off by a warty looking summer squash - it's definitely
fresher than the zucchini at the supermarket. You may discover some old
heirloom variety that our great-grandparents grew for its buttery flavor
despite its hideous appearance. The limited variety of foods available
in most supermarkets has more to do with their ability to withstand the
stresses of extended warehousing, lengthy shipping, and resistance to
crop failure than flavor and beauty - and that goes for livestock and
eggs too!
10.
Bulk Up!
As you ask questions and learn about what is in season week-by-week, you
will inevitably want to increase your consumption of local foods. You
may even want to proclaim yourself a "locavore" and give local-only
eating a try. You will then have to make peace eating raspberries for
only a short few weeks of the year and pine for them for eleven, long,
fruitless months. Or you will have to learn to freeze them, jam them or
otherwise save them for variety and enjoyment all year long. You don't
have to go to the farm to get a bumper crop - just ask your farmer to
bring a crate of them the following week! Most farmers are eager to
sell bulk loads of your favorite pickings and bulk buying often
translates into bulk discounts.
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Learn more about the Union
Square Farmers Market
Top Ten Tips Reprinted from
The Federation of
Massachusetts
Farmers Markets
newsletter |
