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Shopping at the Market:
A User's Guide
Typically when shopping, we make a list, head
to the store and work our way from one end to the other, all too often ending at
the check-out surrounded by magazines and quick snacks.
Shopping at a Farmers Market has a different
rhythm. These tips can help you get the most of Market:
- Don't come with a firm shopping list.
You may have ideas about what you want to prepare in the next few days, but come
to the Market with open eyes. Plan your menus once you get to the Market and see
what grabs your attention. Don't pass up that baby corn or fresh asparagus because
it wasn't in the plan.
- Make the rounds first. See who has
what, at what price and quality. Taste and compare different vendors– tomatoes or
spinach. Then take your pick, knowing that you won't find it tastier or cheaper at
another stand.
- Buy something you've never tried before.
The Farmers Market is a great place to learn about new foods. Never tried kohlrabi?
Ask a grower how to select the best and prepare it.
- Bring your own bags or baskets. Wide
woven baskets are ideal because tender fruits and vegetables don't get piled one
on top of the other.
- Bring children! They love it! So many
kids have no idea where food comes from or how it looks 'au natural'. Seeing zucchini
with blossoms attached, carrots with tops or cauliflower wrapped in its own green
leaves gives them an idea of how vegetables grow, and how great they look. Sampling
a half dozen different tomatoes will awaken their senses. Chances are that children
who choose some of the produce at the Market and talk with the growers will be more
adventurous eaters.
- Shop early for the best selection and
quality. Growers often bring just a few pounds of something the choice produce disappears
first.
- Take time to chat with the vendors.
Building relationships is part of the fun of shopping at the Market. You will soon
become a wise shopper, improve your cooking skills and maybe even take home a "special
customer" treat.
- Plan to go straight home after your
day at the Market to put away your purchases. Don't leave anything sweltering in
the hot trunk of your car. The heat will quickly suck all the life out of the very
fresh produce you just bought. If you can't go home right away, bring a cooler for
the more delicate items.
- Relax and have fun. The Market makes
shopping a social, spontaneous event. Take your time and enjoy the day. Hang-out
and spend time with people you keep meaning to call. Head home afterwards feeling
satisfied that you did a lot more than just got the groceries bought.
Adapted from Fresh from the Farmers Market: Year-round Recipes
for the Pick of the Crop by Janet Fletcher,1997 - Chronicle Books
Follow this Link if you are Curious About How Fruits and Vegetables at the Market are Grown?
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