Why You Should Frequent Your Farmer’s Market

Grocery store shortages are annoying and seem to be happening a bit more often. So what can you do about it? Here are ten clever reasons why you should be seeking out your local farmer’s market and giving them a portion of your business. It’s time to frequent your local farmer’s market!

Frequent Your Local Farmer’s Market

Sometimes on Saturday mornings I take soft muslin produce bags in a big handled basket and trot myself out to the beautiful Tomball, Texas Farmer’s Market. It is always an exciting flurry of activity with heaps of beautiful, locally produced foods. I chat with strangers while I stand in line to buy garden fresh melons, sweet cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes bursting with flavor that you just cannot get in the grocery store anymore. Stunning loaves of multi grain bread beckon to me and jars of honey and comb tempt me to wander over. Ears of the sweetest, just-picked corn you’ll ever grill spark long lines of hungry market goers while farmhousey displays of natural bar soaps invite you to stop and smell. Is there anything more charming? Here is why I believe you should frequent your local farmer’s market more often:

Develop a Relationship with Producers of Nourishing Foods

At the market you can actually talk with the individual who grew your tomatoes. They know the variety, which are sweet and which are richly acidic and they can suggest delicious ways to prepare everything offered. You can ask questions about how the produce is grown, the type of compost or fertilizer used and if they use ever-desirable well water (not city water) on their garden. You may even learn that the farm employs sustainable practices like feeding leftover produce to chickens who in turn lay rich, orange yolked eggs also available for purchase. As you become a regular, the farmer will learn your name, your preferences and give you a heads up when popular items will be at next week’s market.

Learn where the Best Farms Are

You cannot visit a farmer’s market without seeing the banners and signage advertising where each farm is located. Producers would love for you to become a regular customer and buy direct from their farm. You’ll soon discover which farms are clustered together and which offer the best products. If you can’t make the farmer’s market because your Saturday is too booked, you can still have first pick by arranging a Friday afternoon pick up directly from the farm. But the first step is making that initial contact at the Farmer’s Market.

Find Deals on Premium Quality Foods

Our local beef farm occasionally offers cases of incredible Black Angus grass fed ground beef for significantly less than the grocery store…but only if you follow their Facebook page and act fast when it is listed. The You-Pick berry farm nearby heavily discounts their end of season produce, all of which is grown organically from non-GMO seed and un-sprayed berry bushes. Eating like royalty can be as simple as following these farms on social media and watching what they post. The farm would rather sell the produce than let it turn into compost so don’t be shy about asking for bulk discounts that you can stock your freezer with. This produce is likely to be pesticide free, chemical free and healthier for your family to consume – and you got it at a great price!

Eat What is In Season

Fruit and vegetables picked at their peak are bursting with flavors and the greatest vitamins and minerals. You’ll receive more nourishment from a sun-ripened fruit that is in season than one that was picked green and shipped across the continent to finish ripening. When you eat nutrient-dense food, you feel more full and your body won’t crave extra calories.

Try Fresh New Foods and Recipes

When our family did farm co-op baskets, it was the first time I had encountered celeriac, roasted a whole acorn squash or ventured into using fresh artichokes. After all, I didn’t want the produce I had paid for to go to waste! If you stumble across something beautiful at the farmer’s market, consider getting it and learning how to cook something delicious with it!

Pick Up on Industry Insider Knowledge

Farmers are passionate about their work. They are happy to tell you about their products, their livestock and all the tips and tricks they know. Not only will you gain useful knowledge but you’ll learn new ways of doing things. For example, my favorite veggie grower told me how he uses black fabric grow bags to extend his garden growing space. My beef farm told me how their InstantPot sized beef bone cuts are used to make homemade bone broth. (That is literally where I learned to make it, by typing notes quickly into my phone!) These insights are valuable and they help me get the most out of the products I purchase.

Support Local Farms and Small Businesses

Everyone must eat. Do not let your best little farms and small businesses go under, leaving your area devoid of local food production. Even making a purchase once a month helps. Plus many of these producer’s offerings make fantastic gifts for hard-to-shop-for family members. Everyone appreciates a delicious bite to eat or a luxurious bath product that they don’t often spoil themselves with. As prices sky rocket on shipped items in the supermarkets, you may find locally produced goods are competitively priced but you get luxury quality.

See How It’s Done If You Want to be a Producer Yourself

Long lines at your favorite farm stand are there for a reason! Chances are they offer a superior product at a fair price and it is likely to be attractively packaged. (Even a bit of twine tied around an herb bunch just screams country cuteness!) Being a producer may be the last thing on your mind but once your hens are laying heaps of fresh eggs, you might change your mind and want to package them up for sale! Seeing how others have presented their products is a great first step to learning what might be required for business.

Hedge Against Grocery Store Shortages

It is no secret that storms, hurricanes, pandemics, and lockdowns are causing frustrating supply shortages, including on the grocery store shelves. If you have developed relationships with farmer’s market vendors and local farms, you’ve got connections to ensure shortages won’t impact your family as much.

Egg shortages are now so common that we’ve published tips on how to quickly find local egg sellers. Eggs, milk, butter, and bread are some of the first items to sell out. Imagine the relief knowing your family won’t do without because of your network of local producers.

Prepare for the Long Term and Make Memories

Research how to buy half of a beef cow and stock your freezer for a year. Learn how to make jam from berries picked at their sun-ripened sweetest and tuck the jars away. Cook with fresh herbs and then grow your favorites yourself. Try the rainbow of different varieties of heirloom tomatoes and then select the most delicious to plant in your garden every year. Discover your favorite fragrance of soap and make your own bars at home as a hobby. All of these hands-on family activities are useful life skills that create memories your children will cherish. Especially if in their future they must rely upon the things you taught them.

Will You Frequent Your Local Farmer’s Market?

In short, going to the farmer’s market is a simple way to begin exposing yourself to the old-fashioned ways we have lost. It is a chance to slow down, evaluate our consumption, and decide if we want to make small but positive changes in how we eat, shop, and live. For a moment we can peek into the life of a farmer and imagine what it would be like to be somewhat self sufficient, tending to a lush veggie garden with chickens clucking in the background. Maybe it invites us to consider a move to the countryside that we have always dreamed of. If our hearts are yearning for more, we may find we actually need less stuff and more connection to life, cottage skills and the local community for our well-being. My first visits to the upstart farmer’s market years ago in our suburban neighborhood helped me to learn what I truly wanted for myself and my family. I hope a trip to your local market inspires you, too!

You Might Also Enjoy Reading: