The Farmers Market Experience

Gather your family or a few good friends, and take a Saturday morning stroll around the local farmers market. In this community environment, you can savor the season’s bounty of freshly picked fruits and vegetables in an array of colors and flavors and connect with friends along the way. In addition to peak produce, many markets offer flowers by the bunch, handmade crafts, and live local entertainment. You’ll feel good knowing that you’ve selected fresh ingredients from a local vendor that will make your food taste even better.

The farmers market experience is one of simple goodness where produce, meat, and dairy farmers offer their wares straight from their lands to their customers’ hands. Whether set up as roadside stops with pickup trucks loaded with that week’s pick from the farm or freestanding, open-air markets offering a variety of locally grown seasonal bounty, farmers markets can be found almost anywhere across the U.S. and Canada.

Any given weekend throughout the year, these pop-up local events transform normally deserted ghost town settings into bustling centers of commerce. Men, women, and children—the young and the old alike—can be found interacting with the produce of their choice; after all, the farmers market is a hands-on experience where sight, smell, feel, and taste provide for the best selection in quality.

Welcome to the Market

Farmers markets roots in American history can be traced back to the early 1930s, when the economy experienced the Great Depression. At a time when fresh produce was not always readily available in stores and many farmers were struggling to make a living, the idea of going straight to the individual became the saving grace of these producers across the nation.

Since then, this direct relationship between farmers and their consumers has not only increased farmers’ bounty of sales, but it has also highlighted and developed an American interest in organically, locally, and seasonally grown eating trends; a healthful and delicious win-win situation for all.

However, farmers markets are not solely about the produce or the price. An equally important aspect of these markets is the social setting they create. At times many of these markets operate as a mini county fair with live music, fun and games for the kids, and even small eateries offering fresh baked goods, beverages, and hot meals. Many people come together in groups to enjoy their shopping experiences in a way that can be likened to going to the mall to shop, eat, and enjoy the atmosphere. This newfound setting is one that is strengthening economic, social, and health-oriented interactions between producers and consumers season by season. So welcome to the farmers market. We’re glad you came.

Why Buy Local?

Cost: There’s much to be said about the benefits of buying locally when it comes to pricing. Supporting your local farmer in turn supports your local economy. When buying produce, meats, and dairy locally, these products can be offered at lower costs simply due to the lower cost in production and transportation. Produce that must travel long distances from the grower to the seller tends to be more expensive and uses more energy to transport. By removing the opportunity for higher markups due to the exchange of products among many hands, both farmers and consumers reap the benefits of locally produced, locally sold, and locally bought farm-fresh foods.

Taste: When foods are produced locally, they are also produced seasonally. And all foods, no matter where they’re from, taste better when eaten in their peak season. There’s simply no better time to eat a strawberry than in the summer, plain and simple. The same holds true for all produce made available when it is grown within the timeline of its natural production. Think about it: When was the last time a tomato tasted delicious in the dead of winter?

Variety: Locally and seasonally produced fruits and vegetables also provide diversity across the seasons. This in turn allows for a versatile diet. Research has proven a healthy body should intake a daily variety of assorted produce in order to reap the maximum benefits of fruits and vegetables, as they each provide different nutrients needed to maintain a healthful lifestyle.

Shopping at the Market

Go early: The best produce is often found right when the market opens. Avoid choosing from picked-over produce by arriving at your local market as early as possible.

Go often: Buy only as much as you will use within a few days, and store produce (except tomatoes) in the refrigerator or in a cool, dark place. Flavor and nutrients diminish quickly.

No list needed: When visiting your local farmers market, be prepared to keep an open mind. While you might be looking for something in particular, odds are there will be plenty of delectable produce on hand that will have you reconsidering your weekly menu plans. Flexibility is key not only to finding the best produce but in eating the best produce as well.

Plan ahead: If you don’t plan to go straight home from the market, take a cooler so that fresh items won’t spoil in a warm car.

Bring cash: Most vendors appreciate it if you have small bills for purchasing. And while some larger markets will accept credit cards, most will not accept personal checks.

Take your time: Scope out the entire market before making your selections. Prices and types of produce vary among the different vendors. You’ll want to shop just as wisely here as anywhere else.

Something old, something new: While having access to the produce you enjoy regularly is important, so is sampling offerings that may be new to you. Educate yourself in the world of food by picking up something you’ve never tried before and then talking about the product with the local farmer selling it. You’ll learn and taste something new!

Take your kids: There’s no better way to introduce your children to new foods than letting them take part. Allow kids to talk to the vendors and pick out some produce.

Talk to the farmers: Make connections with the local farmers in your area. You might glean some unique cooking tips or even recipe ideas.

Bright is best: Look for blemish-free, brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Any bruised or damaged produce will spoil quickly.

More than just produce: While farmers markets have traditionally been known for selling fruits and vegetables alone, these days many offer one-stop shopping. A variety of organically fed, free-range meats and eggs; fresh-from-the-farm dairy products; canned and preserved items; and home-baked goodies line the interior walls surrounding their field-fresh picks. You’ll even find fresh flowers and potted herbs.

Recycle, reduce, reuse: You’re already a steward of the environment by shopping at your local farmers market, so remember to take it one step further and bring your own canvas bags, baskets, or boxes to carry away your purchases for the day.

Don’t wash right away: Wash fresh produce just before cooking or serving—not before storing.

Join a CSA: If your schedule doesn’t allow for a trip to the market, consider joining Community Supported Agriculture. You’ll receive regular deliveries of locally grown produce in its prime. Find one nearby at www.localharvest.org.

How to Use This Book

Cooking by the Season

Take a stroll through our Farmers Market Cookbook as we guide you to the freshest, most natural approach to cooking for spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each seasonal recipe chapter offers Tips From the Farm with an assortment of farmers’ advice on purchasing, storing, and using ingredients and produce featured within the recipes. In addition, we’ve compiled the best tips from our kitchens as complementary cooking techniques for farm-fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products. Each chapter also offers the chance to learn a little more about farming and local produce with chef and farmer profiles found on pages 51, 120, 192, and 241.

Know What To Buy When

Use our fresh produce and herb primer beginning to assist you in choosing the best produce at the right time of year and getting the most flavor from your foods. You’ll find all the information you’ll need for selecting, storing, and preparing herbs, fruits, and vegetables according to their seasonal availability.

Locating Your Local Farmers Market

Turn the page for a guide to dozens of farmers markets across the South. Whether you’re searching for local markets outside your very own back door or simply browsing to find farmers market stands to visit while traveling, use our resources list to learn more about Southern farmers markets, food festivals, fruit stands, and other local harvest organizations, locations, and Web sites.