Farmers Market Shopping Tips
2 comments June 4th, 2009
Spring is officially here and most of our area farmers markets are up and running! You can find something almost every day of the week and any time of day, and there are many opportunities to add local produce to your weekly meals. For a complete list of area markets, see the Winnebago County Extension website.
It will be a few weeks before most of the markets are in full-swing, but there are already good local eating options at each market. I’ve recently seen asparagus, lettuces and spring mix greens (some with edible flowers!), spinach, baby radishes and other tender baby vegetables, and rhubarb, as well as jams/jellies and fruit juices made from local produce. Several vendors are also selling vegetable seedlings for your own garden or container.
Much of the food that is sold is local and was grown by the vendor, but some of it is not. So how do you know what you’re buying is locally grown and not just something grown elsewhere that a vendor bought from a wholesaler? Here are a few tips on smart market shopping.
First, get to know the people who grow your food. Some vendors have family or employees staffing their tables, but even they should be able to answer some basic questions: How long have you been growing food? Where is your farm? How do you grow/raise this? What do you fertilize with? How do your control weeds? Do you have help? Do you sell at any other local markets? Is this from your own farm? Did you, personally, grow this?
Some answers that might raise suspicions include:
· “I have a farm…” down south, up north. – This doesn’t mean the farm is around here, nor even that the vendor owns/rents it or does any of the growing herself. It’s a good possibility that the vendor drives somewhere to buy produce to resell.
· Evasiveness in answering questions about their farm or growing practices. But if the vendor is swamped with customers or still setting up, they might not be able to easily answer your questions. Also, they may not want to give away their trade secrets, but if they truly don’t want to answer your questions or give shady answers, maybe it’s best to find another seller who has what you want.
· “We sell at every market in the area.” – Maybe they’ve hired someone to staff their booth but if not, how can one person prepare for and staff a market table (harvest, wash, pack, load, unload, and staff) and grow your food (weeding, watering, tending, planting).
Some vendors grow much of what they sell but supplement the variety of foods by buying select items from other sources. Depending on your preferences, ask questions.
Know what’s in season by checking the list on the Winnebago County Extension website. Corn or tomatoes in June? Fresh strawberries in August? Tropical fruit? Probably not from around here.
