A trip to the Farmers Market

I have always heard that it is best to buy local produce, and I was curious to find out if shopping for produce outside the walls of the grocery store would be cheaper. So, last week I researched some local farmers markets, found that there is one about 2 miles from here, and made a date with my family to go and check it out.

The Central City Farmers Market opens at 7:00am and continues until all produce has been sold, so my plan was to get up early Saturday morning to avoid the heat and get first pick of the produce. But, try as I might, getting up at 6:00am and getting ready to go out with a five month old baby (and a sleepy husband) is not always easy.  When we arrived around 10:00am, however, the market was bustling and there were plenty of fruits and vegetables still to choose from.

While I was on the hunt for some green peppers,  my husband disappeared to a stall selling hot peppers, and before I had turned around he was already handing over some cash.  After that we found some nice tomatoes that were $3 for a bowl, and some green peppers which were a steal at $1 per bowl.  But, the best purchase we made had to be the peaches from Floyd's Produce and Flowers (pictured above).  As you can see they looked absolutely wonderful.  The colour and feel of the peaches were exactly as they should be, and the fragrance was divine.  We had already decided to give these peaches a try at $5 a basket when the vendor asked if we had tasted them yet.  She gave each of us a piece to try and, if we truly hadn't been sold before, we would now.  They were the sweetest, juiciest peaches I have ever tasted.

We were able to get a few items on our list, plus some fruit, but we did have to go to the store to pick up some extra items that were not available at the farmers market. Really, we should eat only what is available at a local farmers market because these are the fruits and vegetables that are fresh and available during the current season where you live.  If they are not available, this means they cannot be grown, or harvested locally, so any produce you buy at the store that is out of season has been imported and is not likely to be as fresh.

It was a little overwhelming at first because there were several sellers to choose from and each had their own price.  At the grocery store you are left alone to browse and put what you want in the cart without any interaction from staff, but at the farmers market you have to interact with each seller on every item you want to purchase.  In a way, shopping for the best deal on fruits and vegetables at the store is easier because each fruit or vegetable is placed together in one area.  At the farmers market you have to go to each stall to compare prices, feel and appearance.  However, you also can't barter at the grocery store and you know the fruits and vegetables are not freshly picked that day.  Chances are they have been picked, packaged, shipped, and stored, and then regularly dusted with a spray of water to keep them looking fresh.

The big question is - will shopping at the farmers market save you money?  At $1.00 per bowl, which contains around 6 medium sized green peppers, I know we could not have got this cheaper at the store.  In fact, a pack of 3 at our local grocery store costs $2.00.  Individually, they cost around $0.50.  We frequently buy tomatoes for around $3.00 a pack and we purchased double that amount for the same price.  Not only were they cheaper, but they last longer too.  The reason is because, when you buy produce at the store it has already been stored for a while.  In fact, you don't know how long ago the fruits or vegetables were picked, but at the farmers market where everything is picked that morning, you can rest assured that it will be in your refrigerator with a far greater lifespan than store bought produce.  So, if you're concerned about having too much, trust me, it won't go to waste!

I recommend looking into seasonal recipes to go along with your fruit and vegetables.  That way you can adapt to eating seasonally and build a good repertoire of meals to enjoy based on what is available locally.  Even though our farmers market is relatively small compared to others further away, we still plan on going back for our produce staples, at least until the market closes for the winter.  If you have never been to one, I encourage you to seek one out in your area and give it a try!