Farmer's Markets

Farmer’s markets in the city. I love them. I wish I could go to them more often. But let’s face it. The products are pricier and so they aren’t the best place to go for a person on a budget. But since I love them I do try to go a few times every summer, knowing full well it’s going to bite the pocketbook a little.


I enjoy the other benefits, which is why I go to them. One, assuming you shop to the right markets, most of the products are local and mostly organic and you’re getting it as fresh as possible. So I know the food hasn’t travelled far, is better environmentally in that respect, I’m getting hit with less strange chemicals, I sometimes get to meet the people that actually produce the food and I know my money is going directly to them and their efforts. And the variety of produce we can get at the market is sometimes much better then what you can get at the local grocery store. Sometimes we discover something new. And, frankly, it’s just a great reason to go out for a walk.

I love the seasonal aspect as well. Depending when you go, only certain things are available. Once again, it’s that getting food you know is as fresh and as ripe as possible. It hasn’t been something picked too early and sitting in a crate travelling thousands of miles while it hopefully ripens by the time it gets to where it’s going, losing nutrients while it’s slowly ‘dying’. I love that I can only get squash blossoms at certain times of the year. That heirloom tomato varieties explode in late summer. That I only have a small window of time to get fresh local cherries. That I have to wait until the end of the summer and into fall to get some of the best ‘unpastuerized’ apple cider I’ve ever had. And, if you shop smart at these markets, and purchase things that are at the peak of their season then the price difference compared to the local store is really not as big of a deal.

We never buy a lot. Always go with a set amount of cash and that’s all we can spend there. We always buy a cheese. I love the cheese. You can’t get it anywhere else. If I can, I try to go to the farmer’s market before going off for actual grocery shopping for the week. Then we see what’s there, buy what we like the best and get to plan the rest of the shopping list around it. This particular trip we got squash blossoms (I was thrilled to see those. Only one vendor had them, it was late in the year for them) which were used in a tart, cucumbers for Dan to pickle, blueberries which got thrown into pancakes and oatmeals, and the goat cheese, well that was used in a little bit of everything. Including the squash blossom tart.

I kind of wish I’d been in the mood for tomatoes. They were all over the place and so many varieties. Was that time of year. But if I’m not in the mood, I’m not going to eat them. So maybe next year. I’m also considering participating in some CSA as well next year. Will depend upon whether I can find one that will fit our needs.