It’s Farmer’s Market time again! Have you visited one near you yet?
I’ve written several posts related to the market. A tour of the Dallas market I used to go to, what I bought, and some questions you can ask. One month of eating at the Farmer’s Market and what it cost me. This brain dump post has some tips for avoiding Farmer’s Market scams. And a little tip for utilizing the fresh produce you buy so it doesn’t rot before you can get to it.
Right now I’m visiting the Green City market on a weekly/semi-weekly basis. Parking is atrocious in that area, but the selection is so large (and I like that each booth is labeled with a sign that shows how far away the grower lives) that I can’t pass it up.
We bought ourselves a treat so we could be a part of NoshGirl’s Cross Country Fro-Yo Party. We let T1 have a few licks, but he once again proved that he isn’t ready for dessert. You can see the results of the NoshGirl Party here if you’d like!
Shopping at the farmer’s market can be kind of overwhelming. There are so many choices, but it’s difficult to have a list ready beforehand because there is no guarantee that they will have what you need. On this trip I bought:
Milk
Spinach
Salad greens
Chives
Asparagus
Sprouts
Butter lettuce
Turnips
Red lettuce
Leaf lettuce
Chard
Bok choy
I write all of my ingredients down on the whiteboard on the side of our fridge, and we tend to eat pretty simple meals throughout the week. I’m thinking maybe a post where I photograph everything I buy on Saturday at the market and then photograph how I use it up might be helpful? I know some of you are struggling to figure out how to shop at the market after years of going to the grocery store. I felt that way myself and I would get up on Saturday and only come home with a few items, not understanding how to make it work.
On Sunday night we used up a few of the things I bought. I’ll describe what you see below and bold the ingredients that were purchased at the market. Unless I note otherwise, non-bolded items are purchased at the grocery store.
We had a salad with spinach, salad greens, butter lettuce, red lettuce, leaf lettuce, turnips sliced on top, slivered almonds, a bit of chive blossoms, and home made poppyseed dressing.
Asparagus.
Half-wheat bread sandwiches on homemade bread with chive-yogurt-cream cheese spread, butter-bean spread (the butter beans came from our winter CSA), and sprouts.
We’ve had that exact same meal several times this week, and we’ve been eating salads non-stop. These insanely fresh, organic greens have turned TH into a salad man!
Can you tell I’m really passionate about trying to get people to visit the Farmer’s Market? I really believe you can spend the same amount (maybe even less) as you are at the grocery store, and eat SO MUCH BETTER. What’s holding you back?*
*I realize that for some of you distance or lack of a market in your area are holding you back. If you haven’t checked it out yet, the site Local Harvest is a great resource for finding one near you.
May 24th, 2011 on 9:05 am
I’m a Market vet as is my mom and my Nana. It’s actually a weekly tradition. I love the Market but get so disappointed when I watch people buy produce that obviously doesn’t come from an actual farm that is local (I mean..come on people..it says DOLE on the container).
I ALWAYS ask where the food is from and how far away that is. I found that when you do this the farmers are so grateful that you are committed to supporting them and not a huge corporation.
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May 24th, 2011 on 9:06 am
I like to recommend From Asparagus to Zucchini to anyone using Farmers’ Markets or CSAs. I bought a copy recently and plan to use it when I make trips to the Farmers’ Market in my area. It’s produced by Madison CSAs, but it can be useful for anyone living in the midwest (similar growing seasons). This book is awesome because it gives tips on buying and storing (including canning) items found at markets/CSAs, as well as recipes. The best part is that they give recipes that only include local items that are in season at the same time. So you will never see a recipe for apples and asparagus together because they aren’t in season at the same time! It’s super cheap on Amazon right now so I’d definitely pick up a copy for anyone that is curious! It is extremely useful for those “strange” ingredients!
http://www.amazon.com/Asparagus-Community-Supported-Agriculture-Coalition/dp/061523013X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306245789&sr=8-1
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May 24th, 2011 on 9:47 am
I love the tailgate markets. My only drawback is the times. Most are early in the morning and I’m often at work.
But I love going.
Last time for $15 even I got a dozen eggs, a pint of stawberries, 2 kohlrabi (discovery new veggies), 3 spring onions, a bunch of turnips (so sweet you can eat them raw), a bunch of radishes.
Last night I made an other quinoa salad. I cooked the quinoa and let it cool, then slices up the 4 remaining radishes, chopped the turnip, sauteed a spring onion, then added lemon juice, oil salt, pepper and cumbled some goat cheese in there. Yum.
We finished off dinner with a strawberry (market purchase), blueberry and cream pie.
I love how the veggies are so much fresher, flavorul and hold for much longer in the fridge.
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May 24th, 2011 on 9:57 am
Great post. Don’t forget to remind your readers that live outside of major cities that they can also visit a lot of farms directly at their roadside stands (they are usually a lot closer than you would think) and pick up fresh fruit and veggies anytime of the week! For me this beats the hustle and bustle of the market and the limits of only being able to shop one day of week. Anything that I don’t grow myself is usually pruchased at a local roadside stand (well, in the summer anyway, we eat mostly from our frozen and canned goods in the winter).
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May 24th, 2011 on 10:06 am
Okay, after ages of silently reading That Wife, I’m going to leave a comment… I would LOVE to see more about what you buy & how you use it!
Hubs and I are living in a small military town where the small “market” is about 75% *crafts*. There are usually only three or four farmer stalls. But, I guess I can’t complain about the Amish sellers who have baked goods! It’s quaint and cute, but not something that can get us through a week of meals.
We’re about to move home to Dallas (with our 10 month old Cora) and will have much better options! My husband will start as a full time grad student in the fall (while my part time social worker salary will only cover health insurance), so we’ll be living off a fixed income for a few years. Knowing how you’re managing this makes me think that we can do it too!
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Sophia Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 11:04 am
I lived in Dallas for under grad and graduate school and you will definitely have much better options! There are several farmer’s markets, as well as a few CSA’s. The great thing about Texas is the nearly year round growing season, so CSA’s last about 9 months. Most break down to only $25-30 a week for local, fresh picked, in season organic produce. Start looking now because a lot of them have already started. Oh, and on a totally unrelated note- definitely check out the Late Nights at the DMA events at the DMA on Friday nights. They’re super kid friendly and have lots of fun activities for families
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May 24th, 2011 on 10:07 am
The first weekend in June is when our local market opens and I am so excited!!!
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Melissa Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 10:15 am
Oh and I want to add that I followed the link you posted and I am really sad because a local farm that I really want to try doesn’t have a local stand. They only sell in Chicago.
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May 24th, 2011 on 10:22 am
It was great to see you! I am heading back tomorrow morning to pick up tomato & jalapeno plants for our deck garden!
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May 24th, 2011 on 10:25 am
p.s. I am happy that some of the pictures I took of you and T1 turned out
You two are so cute. Some were hit or miss, I am sure…glad there were some hits!
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May 24th, 2011 on 11:08 am
Re: the awful parking- is it possible to take public transportation to the market? I know it might not run there conveniently since it’s a farmer’s market and those tend to be out of the way. I saw that the link said it’s near Lincoln Park, and I know there are several buses around there that we took, but then again the park is *huge*.
As to the salad and the sandwich- they both look amazing. I just ate breakfast and now I’m craving salad
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Kristin ~ Bien Living Design Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Great thought! There are a ton of busses around the park, but Jenna lives pretty far south of there. A bus does run right up Lake Shore Drive, but again, the distance may be a bit much with the babe. Whenever I head down towards Hyde Park, I always drive as well. It is definitely doable, though
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Ellie Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
I live in Baltimore, where our public transit is really limited, and our big market is Sunday mornings - and the buses run every 30 or 60 minutes - plus, managing a toddler and a bunch of groceries on a bus? I’m about as hippie-green-environmentally-friendly as they get, and I still probably wouldn’t do that.
Our farmer’s market is fortunately walking distance (although it limits how much squash I’m allowed to buy) and we usually ride our bikes there, which involves mounting a crate to the back of mine, or my husband carrying a big backpack. But I can’t even buy milk or eggs at the market, because I don’t have any way of getting it home safely; and I bought strawberries last week and they were pretty sad by the time they got home (they were going in a pie though).
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Sophia Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
I’m meaning this in a thoughtful tone, since it’s hard to come across on the internet- it’s interesting to me to see how accepted cultural differences come into play, and how one’s options affect the way one views situations. For example, in Japan I would often see young mothers with one or two toddlers, with groceries in arms, on the buses and trains- or, they would be on their bikes, with a baby on the bike and a huge basket full of groceries on the front, with another basket on their backs. I guess because that’s just the way they do it there, and so few people have the luxury of the car, you just get used to it. I’m the same way- in Japan, when all I had was a bike or my feet to get places, or the train or the bus, I took it without thinking and it wasn’t seen as a sacrifice, or an annoying thing, everyone did it. But here in America, even in my very bike friendly city, I often take the car when I should bike simply because it’s there and it *is* easier. I think not having the easier option makes the harder option seem more normal than hard, because there is nothing to compare it to. Whereas when you’re thinking car vs. bus or bike, it’s usually more convenient, hands down, to take the car by comparison. Because of this I’m making a concerted effort to drastically reduce my car usage, and my partner and I are both getting bus passes. I walked to the grocery store weekly in several feet of snow in Japan, and I biked in all sorts of weather as well, because I had to, and 99% of the time I genuinely enjoyed it (I also know I was less annoyed with the weather than I would be with traffic jams or terrible drivers when in my car). I’d like to get back to that level of commitment to biking/walking/using public transportation, even though it’s hard when the situation isn’t forcing me too.
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Ellie Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Actually, in Baltimore, for the farmer’s market or my yoga classes, it’s much easier to ride my bike or walk than deal with traffic and parking a car.
I agree that in other countries, you regularly see somebody on public transit with groceries and children - but taking up that kind of space on public transit in the US is generally frowned upon, because nobody does it. I think we would have to all start doing it to be able to create a system where people use public transit to grocery shop - where I live, most people who don’t have cars are restricted to grocery stores near them, which is a problem in the food desserts on the east and west outskirts of the city.
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Sophia Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
It’s always interesting to learn about the differences even within the U.S. In Dallas I rode public transportation often and there were a lot of families with groceries, bikes, strollers, etc. on the DART rail and the buses, it was very normal, but in Seattle I saw much less of that. Expected etiquette/behavior on public transportation is probably very regional and cultural within different states/cities as well.
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Grace Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
Yeah, it’s interesting how that works. To be fair though, Japan is really transit-friendly (and the transit is all clean and very safe), and in the US often none of that is true. Also, it’s a lot more compact: in the US, things tend to be really spread out which makes trips on foot a lot longer. I live in San Francisco (very compact for a US city) and walking to the grocery store would take about half an hour one way, uphill: in Japan it took like 15 min.
Also, small babies can’t go on bikes (under a year=no bike) which makes it a little bit difficult. And while you can take public transit, if you are connecting with a car later, then you must bring a car seat, which is majorly inconvenient to haul around. For example, I can take the train to my parents in the suburbs, but then when they pick me up, I would have a short 10-minute drive to their house. So I always drive there: sad. I wish taking public transit worked better because I loathe driving.
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Sarah Reply:
May 27th, 2011 at 6:20 am
These cultural differences are really interessting! Here in the Netherlands people actually do ride a bike with a baby. When they are little you can buy a carseat adapter to go on the back of your bike and as soon as they can support their own head en sit on their own, so around 6 or 7 mo, they can sit in a seat on your bike. Or you could buy a cart which goes behind your bike and dubbles as a stroller. Here in the Netherlands we even have bikes with a big sort of crate in the front which can hold up to three kids. Also I was really surprised when I read in an American article that it is considered rude to bring a jogging stroller in public transport, because it’s so big. Here, nobody is frowning upon you if you bring a big stroller in the bus or train, it’s considered normal.
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May 24th, 2011 on 11:39 am
That salad looks good!!! Fresh produce and veggies are definitely the way to go. This is slight off topic, but since I don’t have a formspring acct, just wanted to comment on one of the questions someone posted in regards to Asian Pears!
If possible, definitely try buying them at a Farmers Market. The ones you get at the store do not do this fruit justice. Asian Pears are very juicy and watery, but they should be full of flavors as well.
My mom grows them in her backyard, so I know from experience and can definitely tell if an Asian Pear was store bought or if it was produced locally.
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May 24th, 2011 on 11:58 am
Mostly what’s holding me back is that I work 45 hours a week, so I think it’s more of a time constraint.
I typically pick up my 14-mo old daughter from daycare, then hit up the grocery store on the way home to get something to make that night.
Trying to eat vegetarian about 3 times per week.
I could definitely use a “how to make it” post - I’m willing to try new veggies, even if I can’t make it to the farmer’s market just yet.
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May 24th, 2011 on 1:51 pm
So my biggest problem with the farmer’s market is not buying enough, since we run out of veggies during the week, and also a persnickety husband who thinks he is married to our menu plan and not to me. So when we go to the farmer’s market and I try to change the menu, he gets all mad and “what’s the point of having a plan if you aren’t going to stick with it?” So we need to know how much is a reasonable amount of vegetables to buy for a week and then also be able to come up with a menu plan. We signed up for a CSA which is going to push us more out of our comfort zone.
Also, I’m annoyed, because we went to a different farmer’s market on Saturday, since we couldn’t go to the Sunday market, and fortunately, they had just about everything we needed, but they had tomatoes, which definitely aren’t in season here, and I wish I had asked how they had them, but I didn’t. And the website for the farm they had brochures for implies that all they have right now is strawberries. It concerns me a lot that a local farm might be supplementing their produce with conventional produce.
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Ellie Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
And I just went to check the farmer’s market website to make sure I had the right farm and I didn’t. The farm that was at the market has a greenhouse and a very interesting section on their experimental greenhouse farming practices.
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May 24th, 2011 on 3:21 pm
Too too cute! I love T1′s faces after you fed him fro yo!
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May 24th, 2011 on 4:27 pm
Our Farmer’s Market doesn’t start until next week! It’s been killing me. I’ve been wanting to go for months!
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May 24th, 2011 on 9:27 pm
I would love, love, LOVE to see what you buy and how you use it. I would love to get started shopping at a farmer’s market, but I’m nervous I wouldn’t know how to cook everything. I’m especially happy to hear that TH has turned into a salad man (at least for the week!). We don’t have kids yet, but I’d love to get the two of us on board for healthier eating habits (more/different veggies) so our kids can look to us both as examples. Thank you for sharing, and showing that it’s possible! You really are an inspiration.
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May 25th, 2011 on 3:03 pm
My issue is not cost or creativity — it is TIME!
Most farmers markets are in the weekend mornings or early weekday evening… I’m still at work on the weekdays, and I don’t go shopping on Sunday. So that leaves a small window on Saturday — when I often have other things going on.
Then there’s the issue of coming home after work and cooking something completely from scratch… I know this is possible and that a lot of people do it, and I do well with organic salad greens (purchased from the grocery store) and cage-free, organic meat at night.
I guess I wish that there was a 24-hour farmers market, because I do a lot of my shopping at 9 p.m. on a weeknight, often it is what we do for date night! Embarassing, I know, but true.
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May 25th, 2011 on 10:04 pm
How fun! I especially love T1′s reaction to the frozen treat
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