Buying locally-grown produce helps you cut down on your carbon footprint while also supporting local farmers. Yet the key to making a real impact is making sure your green activities become a way of life, and that means making farmer’s market shopping as fun, easy and lucrative as possible.
1) Find out what’s in season in your area and plan meals ahead of time with these items in mind. That way you’ll know what to look for and how much you need.
2) Bring your own bags or cart. After all, what’s the point of eco-friendly shopping if you’re going to take your groceries home in plastic bags?
3) Pack a cooler. Depending on the weather and the length of your drive, a cooler can prove invaluable for keeping produce cool and crisp on the way home.
4) Bring cash and make it exact. You’ll save yourself and vendors time and hassle by giving them exact change instead of hoping they can break large bills.
5) Go early to get the best selection. Farmer’s markets fill up fast first thing in the morning for a reason – that’s when you’ll find the biggest, richest and ripest fruits and veggies of the bunch.
6) Stay late to get the best deals. Vendors typically don’t want to take any of their produce back home so they’ll mark everything down later in the day just to be sure they can get rid of it.
7) Browse before you buy. Make one trip through the farmer’s market before you buy anything just to get a feel for what’s there so you can better plan your purchases.
8) Ask questions. If you see something you’ve never tried before, ask the vendor about it. They generally love sharing their knowledge with customers, including their favorite ways of preparing fruits and vegetables you may not be familiar with.
9) Take a risk. Make it a habit of trying at least one new fruit or vegetable every time you go. Or if you’ve already tried everything there, plan a meal that combines produce you’ve never tried together before.
10) Buy in bulk for the best deals. If there’s too much of it for you to eat fresh, consider freezing, canning or drying it instead.
There are nearly 3,000 farmers’ markets in the United States. To find one you near you, check out Local Harvest or the USDA’s Farmer’s Market Search.
