How To: Make the Most of Your Farmer's Market

Mark took the kids on a daddy's day out so I actually have time to post!

I LOVE our Farmers's Market. It is a weekly highlight for many reasons. We are so lucky to have several farms that maintain sustainable, pesticide-free practices and bring their produce straight from the ground. I've found the vegetables to be comparable or less in price than store-bought organic produce and much higher in quality. I've enjoyed getting to know our farmers and it's really nice to be on a first-name basis, to feel like a part of something. And, I almost always come home with some neat, new tidbit. Today I learned that squash flowers are edible! Our zucchini is blooming like crazy and I'm excited to try the flowers. It is always handy to ask the farmers what they do with their produce. They usually have fun ideas outside the norm. 

Because I spend much can less and get much more, I try to get all our vegetables at the Market and skip he grocery store. It was a learning curve to make the food last all week, but we've developed a great system. We bought 6 Rubbermaid air tight containers to keep the food fresh. When I get back from the market I arrange the veggies in the containers and they last for at least a week. This has been wonderful especially with our quick-to-wilt greens that no longer look unappetizing. 

Obviously, plastic containers are not a fantastic choice. We have no idea what ingredients leech into our food and cause health issues. But, this is one case where I cannot worry about that impact. I would rather be able to eat quality, pesticide-free, straight-from-the-farm produce stored in plastic than buy pesticide-covered food that was picked weeks ago. Besides, most veggies end up in plastic bags anyway, right?

Here is what (some of) our haul looks like when packaged (terrible picture, I know):

I've got beet greens, beets, carrots, kale, and Swiss chard in those red containers. I use our round containers for things like squash. I get the most out of my containers if I separate any roots from their greens (beets, carrots, etc) and "weave" the greens in different directions so they fit more snugly. Those containers are PACKED with greens. 😀

Stay tuned, I may write more...or life may get the best of me.