Summer is here! That means it’s time for one of my favorite seasonal events – the farmers’ market! In this blog post, I’ll share tips for navigating a trip to the summer farmers’ market as well ideas for enjoying the delicious fruit and veggies you are sure to buy there.
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Reasons for visiting the summer farmers’ market
There are a lot of good reasons to take a trip to the farmers’ market in the summertime. Here are just a few:
The best quality produce at great prices
When you shop at a farmers’ market, you are buying produce that has been harvested recently and traveled only a short distance. That means it’s at its peak of both nutrition and flavor. Since produce is cheaper when it’s in season and abundant, you can often get the best quality items for a really great price.
It’s good for the environment
When your food travels a shorter distance to get to you, it decreases the fossil fuels involved in food transportation and storage. Buying your food directly from the producer requires less packaging that would have ended up in a landfill. Produce sold at the farmers’ market doesn’t have to be as visually perfect as that sold at the grocery store, so there is less food waste involved as well.
The summer farmers’ market is also a great place to shop for other foods produced in a more sustainable fashion. Some items I’ve seen at local farmers’ markets are: beef, fish, eggs, olive oil, Kombucha, Yerba, wine, mead, honey, jams and jellies, nuts and nut butters, and baked goods.
You get to shop locally
It is very common these days to purchase a lot, if not most, of the products we use online or from chain stores. When you shop at the farmers’ market, it gives you the ability to interact with a range of local businesses, all in one place. Many farmers’ markets include non-food vendors. You can buy natural homemade soaps, up-cycled gifts, clothing, art, etc. The farmers’ market puts you in touch with local businesses in a convenient way.
How to find your local farmers’ market
There are several ways to find out about local summer farmers’ markets. In my neighborhood, the city puts up banners announcing farmers’ market dates for the season. The public library also has flyers detailing local happenings, and info about farmers’ markets can be found there as well.
It’s easy to search for summer farmers’ markets online too. Look at your city, county, and state websites to see what you can find in your area. In Washington State, where I live, the state has a website of farmers’ markets that’s searchable by county, market days, and months open. I’ve also had luck in the past just Googling “farmers’ markets near me.” You can also search on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) also maintains a national directory of farmers’ markets. Simply enter your address information and it will provide a list of local farmers’ markets near you.
What to do at the summer farmers’ market
For me, the farmers’ market is more than just a place to get produce. It’s also a place to interact with others, find out about local events, and shop for non-produce items made by local vendors. Depending on how big your market is and the location, it can even be a family event. My local market has games, art tables for kids, food trucks, even concerts, and it’s next to a playground. Sometimes we make it a fun family outing.
Interact with other humans face-to-face
Going to the farmers’ market gives you the chance to interact with your local farmers. You can find out from them what will be in season soon, which variety of peaches are the sweetest, and get ideas for cooking less common produce items, like shishito peppers or lambsquarter. And you may even make a friend of your farmer, the person who grows your food. In this age, that is a pretty amazing thing.
Use it as an opportunity to try or eat more produce
The summer is a great time to up your fruit and veggie intake, since there is so much good produce in season. If there’s a fruit or vegetable you’ve never tried but are curious about, the farmers’ market is a great place to buy it. If you have kids, let them pick out a fruit or vegetable to try. Kids tend to be more invested in produce they’ve chosen themselves. They are also usually more willing to try new foods purchased this way.
It is, of course, easier to consume produce when you actually have some in the house. A trip to the farmers’ market is one way to ensure you’ve got some good stuff to eat. If you’d like other tips for increasing your vegetable intake, check out my post on “6 easy tips for how to eat more vegetables.”
What to buy at the summer farmers’ market
When you get the farmers’ market, how do you know what to buy? There are different approaches, but I think any one of them will yield tasty results.
Use a grocery list to guide your purchases
One approach is to go to the farmers’ market after making a weekly grocery list. You can prioritize the items on that list, along with anything else that looks especially delicious that week.
Use your purchases to plan your weekly menu
On the other hand, you can also go to the farmers’ market sans list and use what you see to dictate the weekly menu. Maybe the fresh corn has finally arrived, and you have a great recipe for using it at home. Or perhaps the tomatoes look great and are a good price that week. Maybe one farmer has a glut of overripe peaches they are selling for super cheap. You can use those to make cobbler or fresh jam.
How much should you buy?
There is no right answer to this question. It will depend on things like the size of your family, how much produce you eat in a week, and your budget. I typically purchase at least five to six different vegetables and two to three different fruits each week. That way I ensure I will have a variety of plant foods to round out my plate.
You’ve got the produce – now what?
Once you have the produce, now comes the fun part: using it to make delicious meals and snacks. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Easy ways to incorporate more summer fruits
One of the great things about adding more summer fruits to your meals is that there are so many ways to use them. For instance, you can:
- Make them into a “juice” in the blender
- Freeze them and use them in a smoothie
- Grill them on the barbecue
- Skewer them into kabobs and serve with yogurt dip
- Eat them as they are – ripe and juicy!
- Get creative and make watermelon “pizzas”
- Slice them and add them to a green salad
- Bake them into a cobbler or fruit tart
- Pair with yogurt and granola to make a parfait
- Use as a cereal or oatmeal topper
- Combine your favorites to make a fruit salad
- Make them into a jam, salsa, or chutney
- Add them to filtered water or iced tea to make a refreshing beverage
- Slice longways and make Mexican-style fruit cups
Easy ways to incorporate more summer vegetables
Just like with fruits, vegetables can be incorporated into meals in so many ways. Here are some ideas for upping your veggie intake:
- Add carrots or greens to a smoothie
- Juice them in a juicer
- Roast them with olive oil, salt, and your favorite herbs
- Grill them alone or as kebabs
- Make a salad with your favorite greens and veggies
- Add extra veggies to a sandwich or a wrap
- Eat them raw or with a little dip
- Pickle or ferment them
- Make them into sauce, salsa, or chutney
- Bake them on a sheet pan along with a protein source for a one-pan dinner
- Combine summer squashes, eggplant, etc. to make ratatouille
- Incorporate them in baked goods like carrot cake or zucchini bread
Navigating the summer farmers’ market – in summary
If you’ve never been to the farmers’ market in the summertime before, you have been missing out. I hope this post has convinced you that it’s worth the trip. If you need ideas for using the produce you buy there, check out my Summer Seasonal Produce Guide. It has information and recipes for six summer produce items: blackberries, corn, tomatoes, watermelon, sage, and summer squash.
Bon apetit!
References
- Featured image credit: Photo by Shelley Pauls on Unsplash
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