Healthy Food At The Farmers Market
The farmers market is a great place to find healthy food and most decent sized cities have at least one or two that will have a variety of goods for you to choose from. Farmers markets are typically held during the summer and fall months of the year when most people are harvesting their crops and if you live in a good area you may have people traveling from nearby states to sell their crops as well. If you live in the western states this is even more of a likelihood because many of the surrounding areas won’t be big enough to really to have cities with a weekly farmers market which mean they may make the drive to larger areas to sell their items there. This is great news for anyone who is trying to live a healthy lifestyle and eat healthy foods because fresh foods from a local farm are about the best kind of produce you can get your hands on. However before you head out to your local farmers market ready to load up on fruits and vegetables there are a few things that you might want to be aware of first.
One of the first and most important things to know about the farmers market is that you have to get there bright and early. Farmers are early risers and many of them take long trips to get to their stalls and booths on time so show up as early as you can and you’ll be able to have first pick of the produce that’s there. If you wait until too late in the afternoon or even just before lunch everything is likely to be picked over if not completely gone. Get there early and you’ll be able to get the first choice of everything you want and you’ll probably have more fun too because you won’t have hundreds of other people swarming around you looking to purchase the same things.
Another thing you want to remember is that most of the people there won’t be stores or establishments - they’ll be regular farmers and craftsmen so they aren’t going to have the resources to take large bills, checks or credit cards. Bring ones and small bill and always deal in cash. It’s extremely unlikely for people at a farmers market to be able to take a card and many of them will be very wary of checks. Keep this in mind and be kind to your local vendors by making it easy for them to accept payment from you.
Also remember to bring your own bags with you - whether they’re recycled ones from the grocery store or your own hand made cloth bags. The farmers will appreciate not having to pay for more bags so you can take your produce home and you’ll be doing something kind to save the planet as well as setting a goo example for others.
Remember to take an interest in the farmers and vendors and find out about them. Building a relationship with such people can make it easier for you to get discounts or the best produce on a busy day and it can mean the difference between being saved a bucket of tomatoes or finding out that they’ve all been sold. Plus getting to know your farmers can allow you to find out about their practices like where they travel from, how they treat their crops, what their policies are and what other goods they might have available for purchase.
Overall it’s important to remember to have fun and and enjoy the farmers market because it’s really a great place to make friends and find new and delicious, healthy food!