Saving at the Farmer's Market
Ablang
possible. As a foodie and a consciously frugal gal, I'm more
interested in getting the best quality bargain that supports my local
economy. My dollars are as good as votes (some would argue the only
vote that really counts), and I want to make sure I'm voting in line
with my values. My values when it comes to food? It needs to be
delicious, sustainably produced and preferably grown on a small-scale
farm. Luckily, my local farmer's market provides just those things!
Sometimes farmer's markets are more expensive than grocery stores.
Sometimes, items are cheaper, depending on the season and the seller.
Supermarkets are often cheaper because grocers purchase large
quantities from mega farms. But there is much debate about the ethical
practices of many large supermarkets, as they often force farmers to
sell their crops at a significant loss. I'm not interested in saving
money if it means that the person who toiled to create the product I'm
purchasing didn't receive a fair price for his or her efforts.
Now, let me step off my soap box and give a few tips on how I've
learned to save money while shopping at my local farmer's market
(thanks for listening to the sermon, though. And yeah, I know, I'm
preaching to the choir!).
1. Take a pen and paper with you. If possible, bring a friend (running
errands together saves on gas!) to help. Basically, you'll be creating
an impromptu price book that will change weekly.
2. As you're walking, jot down the prices of products you want to buy
and their relative location. Use whatever method is easiest for you. I
make a two lines and write the product and price down with an "X" on
the either side of the "aisle" where the booth is located. Some
markets are kind enough to have booth numbers or names displayed. If
you're so lucky, you can note that cherries are $4 a box at booth six,
etc.
3. Be sure to jot down any other information that is important to you.
Do you want organic produce or are you willing to buy conventionally
grown items?
4. After you've walked the length of the market, take a look at your
notes and circle the least expensive items. Return to those booths and
make your purchases.
In some instances, there will be only one vendor selling what you
want, but most of the time you'll have several growers from which to
choose. Don't let any do-gooder guilt make you spend more for the same
product. Keep in mind that most people don't pay attention to prices
and will purchase items as they go along, and most farmers present
will receive support.
The same grocery shopping rules apply at the farmer's market-don't
shop when hungry, bring a list (this may require that you educate
yourself on what is in season in your area), bring your own bags, and
do your best not to become enthralled with anything you don't actually
need.
http://consciouslyfrugal.blogspot.com/2007/05/saving-at-farmers-market.html
bungalo...@yahoo.com
warning, most farmer's markets just resell mass produced stuff, at
least in my area, the tomatoes and strawberries they sell are usually
a dead giveaway (calif crap)
the supermarket I go too now has a "farmers market area", more highly
prices, but they are really locally grown, with the name and location
of each farmer displayed next to each item. And it's real local stuff,
buggy fruit, half size strawberries, weird shaped tomatoes, dull
looking apples, but all taste great!
George Grapman
In San Francisco not only is the name of the farm displayed but the
truck with that name is usually adjacent to the stall.
The best tomatoes I ever had are sold by Two Dog Farms in Santa Cruz
County at the Sunday farmers market here during summer months.
sarge137
weekend, every weekend, going from one farmer's market to another.
But, people eventually caught on, and almost all of them went away.
Now there's maybe one a week, and all of the vendors have to be local
growers/producers. Not sure exactly how the organizers enforce that,
but you find names and local addresses on the booths, and the
receipts. Not cheap, but the quality is the best you can buy for any
amount.
Regards,
Sarge
George Grapman
a farmers market that were better/cheaper than the chains. I also
purchased some small red potatoes that cost more than Safeway but were
great.
The Real Bev Far From Home
George Grapman wrote:
>
> Pricing sometime higher sometimes lower. Last week I got tomatoes at a
> farmers market that were better/cheaper than the chains. I also
> purchased some small red potatoes that cost more than Safeway but were
> great.
NOTHING is ever cheaper here, but the stuff is generally much better.
"Local" means "200 miles away as long as you filled in the proper forms"
whatever they are. They also have a lot of stuff you just can't get
elsewhere, but a purple potato is still a potato and isn't worth $2/pound.
Still, it's worth going for the free samples.
Cheers,
Bev
Samantha Hill - remove TRASH to reply
>
> NOTHING is ever cheaper here, but the stuff is generally much better.
> "Local" means "200 miles away as long as you filled in the proper forms"
> whatever they are. They also have a lot of stuff you just can't get
> elsewhere, but a purple potato is still a potato and isn't worth $2/pound.
>
> Still, it's worth going for the free samples.
Nothing is ever cheaper here, either, but I think that's because the
farms are not worked by illegal aliens.
max
we go for goatcheeze crepes.
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aldr...@gmail.com
are represented at the market. So, if you see Dole items, etc. (or the
"mass produced" items to which you refer), you're not at a legitimate
farmer's market. Most permanent "farmer's markets" (e.g., Fairfax FM
in Los Angeles) are nothing more than multiple vendors selling stuff
from god knows where. Long story short--find certified markets.
My blog gives several tips on how to save at (certified) farmer's
markets. Since I started eating locally-grown, sustainably produced
foods, my grocery budget has been reduced by nearly half. It's a myth
that eating well costs more. Just have to be smart about it.
Thanks for highlighting my blog! Hope it helps.
sarge137
Certified? Who does the certification and what are the standards?
I'll bet there's no "certification" in most of the 49 states outside
of California, there's certainly none where I live.
aldr...@gmail.com
> Certified? Who does the certification and what are the standards?
> I'll bet there's no "certification" in most of the 49 states outside
> of California, there's certainly none where I live.
Well, you could bet--or investigate for yourself. If you find you have
no certification process and would like to ensure that it exists so
mass produced crap produce from Peru isn't being sold at a pseudo-
farmer's market, perhaps you could start a new movement in your state?
Might even get a day named after you! However, what I've found is that
lots of folks simply don't know the difference or that certification
exists. And I'm also sure that some states, particularly those with
low population density, don't have such programs currently in place.
Great opportunity for citizen action.
I've lived in four different states, each of which had certification
processes for small farmers to sell their wares locally. There has yet
to be a national standard set for certification requirements, as
governing a local food system by a federal structure doesn't make much
sense. Granted, California leads the way in this sort of market, but
since CA created the certification process back in 1977 (developed by
the CA dept. of agriculture), I find it hard to believe that most
other states have not followed suit by now. Particularly given the
growing awareness of food miles, production techniques, and the fact
that everywhere I've lived has had both genuine farmer's markets and
b.s. markets (of course that last bit is just anecdotal). From what I
know, state ag. departments develop certification standards based on
small farmer and consumer demands.
Anyhoo, I certainly hope certified markets show up in your neck of the
woods soon. Nothing is more irritating than overpriced crap produce
flown in from a gazillion miles away trying to pass itself as farmer
Joe's pickings.