Buying Fresh Food at Farmers Market
Ranked #9,581 in Food & Cooking, #162,013 overall
Fresh is Best When it Comes to Fruits and Vegetables
I get fresh locally grown food from the farmers who grow it or send their representatives to sell it. Each vendor's booth reflects the personality of that vendor. I hope to introduce you to some of my favorites here, through videos I took on April 18, 2010. It was a perfect day -- sunny, but not too warm or to cold to enjoy being outside. The park was calm, with no other scheduled activities except a dog training class on the opposite side of the park when the market was nearing closing time. This lens, though, will be focused on the vendors and their produce. Please forgive me when I cut off vendors' heads, since I'm also trying to show their wares while they speak. (I'm also learning to use my camera and can't always see what I'm shooting in the bright sun.)
Here's How to Use Some of What you Buy at Farmers Market
Recipe is on the other side of the card. Click the link to see the other side.
If you have a local Farmers Market, please support it.
Local farmers supply tasty and nutritious food that you often can't buy in a store. The only place I've ever seen those exotic radishes in my introductory picture is Maria's booth. They are delicious. I know if Maria or any other regular vendor ever gives me anything that turns out to be not up to par, they will replace it the next week. I know I'll always be happy.
Do you buy produce at a local Farmers Market?
These strawberries were delicious.
The entire bowl full was devoured right after I took its picture and offered it to my husband.
They were so beautiful I could not resist photographing them and making them into Zazzle products. These are some of my favorites:
Everyone Loves a Fresh Bowl of Strawberries by barbsbooks
View more Strawberries Aprons
Everyone Loves a Fresh Bowl of Strawberries by barbsbooks
More Strawberries Mousepads
Walking Through the Market to Maria's Booth
Want to promote eating fresh vegetables?
Try one of these T-shirt designs.
They are available for all ages in many colors, styles, and sizes, so you can find just what you need. I've shown an example of each here.
Veggie Face by evisionarts
Veggie Face No Signature by Sandyspider
More About Maria and her Business
What do you think of Maria's selling style?
If you are at Maria's booth for the first time, you might be thrown off-guard by her teasing as you saw it in these videos -- especially when she tells you your total is $100 or some such thing -- if you haven't' learned yet that she's teasing. But if you are short on the money you need to buy something, she will also just tell you to bring what you owe her the next market day, and she means it. She has also replaced items that turned out not to be as she said. (A "sweet onion" that turned out to have quite a bite, for example, when she had told me it wouldn't. When I doubted whether a hard persimmon would really be sweet, she washed and handed me one to try, and then she found one that was softer (same variety) and let me try some of that to see the difference. After that I kept buying those hard persimmons until they were out of season, and I will start buying them earlier next year. (The other variety of persimmon I was used to was only edible when very soft.)
Some people, however, have really been bothered by Maria's style. As I was headed to her both one Saturday I heard one lady tell another not to go there because "I don't like her." Some people, I guess, can't take the teasing. They expect a vendor to be all business. What do you think.
After watching Maria in action, would you hesitate to shop her booth or look forward to the experience?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byWhen I shop, I don't want to be teased and prefer a more straightforward business transaction.
I think it enhances the shopping experience when vendors are playful, as long as the quality is good and the vendor deals honestly with me.
Ladydove62 says:
Maria's style is upbeat and fun. I think shopping with her would be interesting and her willingness to provide a little extra would keep me coming back.
Posted April 28, 2010
bethd821 says:
If you can't banter with someone at the Farmer's Market, why go there? I will walk away from someone who won't banter. If they think their produce is so wonderful, they can take it home. I will buy from someone willing to talk to me.
Posted April 23, 2010
Treasures-By-Brenda says:
I think part of shopping at a market is enjoying some friendly banter.
Posted April 23, 2010
BarbRad says:
Maria's style keeps me on my toes, and I appreciate her willingness to help me make a purchase I'll be happy with. I know she will stand behind it and see that I'm satisfied. Her booth is more fun because she's herself. I shop at other booths that are strictly business, but actually prefer vendors who let you get to know them a bit and don't mind a bit of conversation.
Posted April 23, 2010
I would appreciate Squidoo members taking time to rate this.
This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.
I hope this lens has made you think about doing more shopping at Farmers Market
Have you ever shopped at a Farmers Market? Do you want to share an interesting experience? Have you discovered a new taste treat? I hope you will comment and let me know you were here.
Veggie Sticker by allicor
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Ecolicious
Feb 14, 2011 @ 10:22 pm | delete
- I agree fresh is best. Lensrolling to my St Fairsted lens. Also blessing
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JoanneOtt
Jul 19, 2010 @ 1:39 am | delete
- I love to shop at Farmers Markets, because it supports local businesses, and the fruit and veggies could not be fresher. Most farms here are all organic as well.
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MsSnow4a
May 17, 2010 @ 7:05 pm | delete
- I wish i could go more but its not anywhere close to me so can only go if a friend goes. I do love the farmers market though
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Ladydove62
Apr 28, 2010 @ 11:31 am | delete
- This was fun... enjoyed viewing your shopping experience. Great Job!
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sandyspider
Apr 24, 2010 @ 4:58 pm | delete
- I love the farmers market. Great lens.
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oztoo
Apr 24, 2010 @ 1:32 am | delete
- I love your farmers market and Maria's style. It sure makes the shopping experience much more interesting. Great lens.
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bdkz
Apr 23, 2010 @ 8:20 pm | delete
- I love our Farmer's Market. Super lens!
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bethd821
Apr 23, 2010 @ 5:49 pm | delete
- I like to shop at the Farmer's market. The local one here is only open on Saturday mornings and sometimes I forget about it. There is a larger one about 30 miles away, but I've been disappointed by the produce and it's a long drive just to be disappointed.
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Treasures-By-Brenda
Apr 23, 2010 @ 4:36 pm | delete
- Barb, I cannot remember if I left a message...if I did, just ignore this one. I do enjoy buying fresh food at farmers markets.
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CreativeArtist Apr 23, 2010 @ 4:09 pm | delete
- I occasionally shop at the farmers market. I also like buying organic in the grocery store or whatever is the freshest.
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More about BarbRad
You might want to read more about Templeton.
Disclosure
by BarbRad
In my life I've been student, public library clerk, English teacher in public school, elementary teacher in private schools,card buyer for Logos Bookstore... more »
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Preparing seasonal produce.
Fresh from the Garden: Cooking and Gardening Throughout the Seasons with 250 Recipes
Amazon Price: $21.00 (as of 02/16/2012)
At Farmers Market you will often be introduced to foods you haven't seen before. You will want to know how to use them. Although this book tells you how to grow your own vegetables, it also has 250 recipes for cooking them, and produce you buy at Farmers Market will also work if you did not grow your own. We all need to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and there's nothing like a new cookbook with great pictures that whet your appetite and get you motivated to try new things in your kitchen.
This is the Bible of Preparing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Eat Fresh, Stay Healthy
Amazon Price: $12.98 (as of 02/16/2012)
The recipes are organized by the fruits and vegetables they are based on, so if you have carrots, you look up carrots .If you have fennel or Swiss chard, you look them up and find out how to prepare them. You will learn how and where the produce is grown and the different varieties you may encounter. Then you get a selection of delicious recipes to try. This book is short on gorgeous photos, but makes up for it in the wealth of useful information it provides. It has even given me a recipe I want to try with my loaded quince tree this year. I've never quite known what to do with it before.
Don't Know What to Do with Strange Fruits and Vegetables?
This book can help.
Cooking from the Farmers' Market (Williams-Sonoma)
Amazon Price: $18.05 (as of 02/16/2012)
If you're like me, when you go produce shopping at Farmers Market, you are sometimes intrigued by fruits and vegetables that are new to you. You might like to try them, but are in the dark as to how to cook them. This cookbook solves that problem. It's divided by vegetable or fruit, and after giving you hints as to how to select the freshest produce and guiding you as to when each vegetable and fruit is in season, the author provides recipes for most produce you are likely to find at Farmers Market. There are complete descriptions of over 100 vegetables and fruits. This book is highly reviewed by Amazon customers, and I'm putting it on my wish list. Click through and read the reviews for yourself and see if this book is likely to belong in your recipe book collection.
