Navigating the Farmers’ Market, Part 2

Ear­li­er this year, we start­ed to intro­duce you to the farm­ers’ mar­ket with some sug­ges­tions for what to ask, what to look for, and whom to intro­duce your­self to in order to get the fresh­est, tasti­est local good­ies. Hope­ful­ly by now you’ve explored and been amazed by what your local mar­ket has to offer.  This time of year, the mar­kets should real­ly be com­ing into their own with fresh greens, berries, and baby vegetables.

So, now, what are some things to look for at the farm­ers’ mar­ket this time of year? How do you plan your recipes for the week with­out know­ing exact­ly what will be on dis­play for your enjoyment?

Breathe deep, pro­duce lover, I’ve got you covered.

Eat­ing sea­son­al­ly is going to vary by geo­graph­ic loca­tion, but here in Vir­ginia, fruits and veg­gies are BOOMING! It is the per­fect sea­son to real­ly dive head­first into your local farmer’s mar­ket, get to know your farmer, and try some­thing new.

Veg­eta­bles: Aspara­gus, Green/Snap Beans, Cab­bage, Car­rots, Greens (Chard, Col­lards, etc.), Corn, Cucum­bers, Egg­plant, Green Onions, Leeks, Mush­rooms, Onions, Peas, Radish­es, Sum­mer squash, and Zucchini

Fruit: Mel­ons, Cher­ries, All types of Berries, Nec­tarines, Watermelon

Herbs: Basil, Cilantro, Pars­ley, Oregano, Sage, Mint

Source: www.sustainabletable.org

Now that you are sali­vat­ing at the con­cept of fresh pesto, roast­ed veg­eta­bles, and berries with coconut cream, you’ll need to plan. It can be tough to meal plan until you get to the farmer’s mar­ket, but a sim­ple notepad and cal­en­dar can make magic.

1. When you arrive at the mar­ket, be sure to ALREADY have a con­cept of you and/or your family’s week – does your son have a base­ball ban­quet and not need din­ner on Thurs­day? Will you have left­overs from the end-of- the-year pic­nic? Know when you will need meals, as well as poten­tial time con­straints (i.e. do you get home real­ly late on Thurs­days and need a fast meal?).
2. Take a lap so you know what the mar­ket has to offer
3. Pull out the note­book and cal­en­dar, pop a squat away from the hub­bub and start plan­ning. Need a quick meal for that tight Thurs­day night? Grab some veg­gies to throw on the grill. Need quick recipe inspi­ra­tion? Sites like Pin­ter­est and MyRecipes are a great place to start. Sim­ply type in the ingre­di­ent you would like to use, and get ready to be inspired! Many farm­ers have tons of recipe ideas as well, so don’t be afraid to ask!
4. Write the meals direct­ly into your cal­en­dar, jot down your ingre­di­ent list, and get shopping!