Saturday, May 28, 2011

How I Get Fresh Produce


One question I get asked all the time is how do I get my fresh produce?

Well, I am super lucky and have a farmer's market less than a mile away. I know not everyone has a farmer's market, but if you do, I highly suggest checking it out and taking advantage of it!

For all of the items pictured above (a cantaloupe, pineapple, a HUGE container of spinach, 3 heads of romaine, 3 Green peppers, 2 packages of mushrooms and a bunch of asparagus), I paid $7.

For some that may be a lot, but for two weeks of produce for two people, I'm happy! Occasionally grocery stores have some great deals on produce, but not always. That's why I take advantage of my farmer's market, plus I'm supporting local businesses.

There are a few ways to really take advantage of your local farmer's market and get the most for your money.

The first way I would suggest is by going later in the morning. When you go to a farmer's market early in the morning you are more likely to get the best selection. However, when you go later in the morning, vendors usually lower their prices to try to unload their inventory and still make a profit.

If you have a larger farmer's market, keep an eye out for patterns in the pricing. At my local farmer's market, the vendors near the end of the aisles have higher prices. I always check the vendors in the middle where I can usually find the best prices.

And don't be afraid to haggle. Especially when they are already lowering prices already! You never know what kind of deals you can find!

Now that you know how I get my fresh produce, how do you get yours?

7 comments:

  1. A tricked I learned at the farmer's market last summer: There was a small basket of yellow squash on the counter, and a larger basket full of larger sized squash down at ankle level in front. That basket was actually cheaper because the squash had gotten larger than the farmer would have liked. They weren't older or anything, they just grew too big so they felt they were worth less. I got the bigger one, used what I could, and sliced the rest and froze for use in stir frys, etc.

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  2. We have our own Garden...Plenty of fresh vegs and such in it...

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  3. Exactly what I was thinking , make your own garden . If you know someone handy and spend many less than $100.00 or find treated lumber cheaper , make a "raised garden , it wont be
    huge , but you don't have to bendover so much .
    research on the internet "raised garden" .
    Then you can get fresh potted dirt, to put in it . Another tidbit look on the internet too , to see what you can grow, different months is when you plant vegetable . Type in the region where you live .
    In the metro East (illinois ) we've local farmers , 10 miles from st.louis,Mo .

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  4. Which farmers market dod you go to? We like the soulard one, but it's too big sometimes and too crowded.

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  5. A friend of mine from church does a food co-op. $22 every 2 weeks, and I get a large box full(banana box size) of fruits and veggies. Its always fresh and in season. Last box I got had 2 large heads of cabbage, lettuce, 5lb potatoes, yellow squash, roma tomatoes, onions, carrots, apples, kiwi, oranges, cantaloupe, and bananas.
    It has also helped me branch out and try stuff I might not buy. I also have the option to buy 1/2 boxes or just fruit or veggies.
    Misty H.

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  6. I was just at Soulard market this morning! There's a small produce tent on Manchester Rd in West Co (between 270 and 141) in front of the Hostess bread store on the weekend and they have good stuff pretty cheap too.

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  7. Their is another good way to get Produce in the St. Louis and Il. areas. Their is a produce co-op called community helpings produce, and it is all locally grown, here is the website if anyone is interested, communityhelpingscoop.com, it is a very large basket of produce every two weeks for $23.00. They also have lots of other items also.

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