Does anyone else out there like shopping at the Farmer’s Market?  I absolutely love it.  Fresh fruit and veggies, homemade breads and goodies, dog biscuits, crafts, cheese, coffee…the list could go on.   I try and attend the Farmer’s Market here in Bowling Green by the Medical Center on a weekly basis.  (However, with Mikayla my track record hasn’t been so hot!  We typically make it each week, but by the time we get there it is close to closing and the top picks are mostly gone.)  That being said I wanted to offer up some Farmer’s Market tips for anyone thinking about venturing out to one.

1.  Spread the wealth.  There are a ton of marketers at each market and each one worked hard for their product.  Don’t spend all your money at one vendor.

2.  Check it out before you begin shopping.  I typically stroll down the aisle of vendors once before I begin making purchases.  By doing this I am better equipped at spreading the wealth!

3.  Take cash.  Sure some vendors will accept checks, but cash makes the transitions quicker and more efficient.  Plus, you will know exactly what you are spending.

4.  Pre-order.  Some vendors will actually do pre-orders.  Here in BG there are actually two that do:  O’Daniel Farms and Au Naturel Farms.  Pre-ordering saves you time and ensures that you get exactly what you want.

5.  Shop the market first.  Since Farmer’s Markets only sell what is in season at the time it is best for you to shop at the market and then head to the grocery store for anything you didn’t get.

6.  Get there early! This is perhaps one of the best pieces of advice.  Farmer’s Markets do not have an unlimited supply of products, once they run out they are out.  If you don’t show up until thirty minutes before the market closes, you will probably not find much produce (trust me I know from experience).

7.  Talk to the farmers.  They are a wealth of information.  Plus once you get to know them they might cut you some deals!  Everyone loves a good deal.  If I am having trouble with my garden at home or just have a gardening question, I know I can talk to the farmers at the market and get the questions answered.

Can you tell I love shopping at the Farmer’s Market?  I hope Mikayla wakes up soon so we can head out there today!

Tags: Farmer's Market, vegetables

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 20th, 2009 at 2:19 pm and is filed under Random. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.