How to Shop at the Farmer’s Market (Video)

Nothing beats fresh and local and buying straight from the source, which is why we are in love with shopping at the farmer’s markets. We spend many hours at our local market and have found out that we’ve become real pros. There are some things you should know before shopping at the farmer’s market so you can save money, get the best foods and develop relationships with your local farmer’s. Here are some great tips to help make your shopping easy.

1. Browse through your market before making any selections so that you can compare which markets are selling the same items. You will sometimes find that some farmers have nicer or cheaper products.
2. NEVER go on an empty stomach. You will regret this because you will end up over buying and therefore overspending.
3. BYOB! Not booze, but bring your own bag or basket. This is a “green” move and your farmers will appreciate not having to supply you with a bag.
4. Talk to your farmers. The farmer’s love to talk about what they have and they can tell you if something is organic or if it is in peak season or at the end of the season. They can also tell you how to prepare some of the vegetables or items that are for sale, so they will give you awesome recipes or tips on preparation.
5. Choose the time you visit your market wisely. The reason for this is because we have found that if you visit your market early in the day, you have the best selection, but if you visit at the end of the day you can get the best prices. So, keep this in mind.
6. Baked goods tents generally will deeply discount their goods at the end of the day or during bad weather.
7. Look for “scratch and dent” produce. Dented tomatoes and peppers are sometimes sold cheaper and they are usually separated in a discount section. Look for these items to save some cash and they are great to use for salsas, sauces, or roasting.
8. Bring small bills. When you are going to pay for your purchases it’s easier on the farmers and on yourself if you bring singles and five dollar bills so that they don’t have to worry about breaking a large bill.
9. Just because you are at a farmer’s market doesn’t mean that everything is healthy. A gluten-free cookie is still a cookie so don’t get caught up buying a dozen of these and then wondering why the scale “hates” you next week.

These are just a few tips that have made our farmer’s market shopping successful and we wanted to pass along. If you have any other tips that you think will be helpful when shopping please let us know!