A Day at the Farmers' Market
Tips, Recipes, and More
Originally published August 2000
Updated July 2002

Recipes
• Easy Summer Couscous Salad: Recipe
• Chopped Chive "Pesto" for Pasta: Recipe
• Southern Italian Bread Salad: Recipe | Slideshow
• Dessert Fruit Pizza: Recipe | Slideshow

Resources
• Farmers' Market Tips from Listeners
• Lynne's Farmers' Market Tips
• A Walk through the Farmers' Market: Slideshow
• Online Resources

© Minnesota Public Radio Maggie Skinner

It's summer, and farmers' markets around the country are going strong—so start shopping! We can't recommend these markets highly enough for finding the best, freshest local produce and other goods, and supporting your local growers in the process.

Lynne has been visiting the farmers' market in St. Paul, Minnesota, for the past few years to check out the local goods and demonstrate some simple summer cooking using her purchases. Re-create these dishes with recipes and step-by-step slideshows. Learn how to be an expert shopper with Lynne's farmers' market tips. And check out the good advice we've collected from submissions made by our online audience as well.

Got something to say about farmers' markets? Share your ideas and see what other people think in the Splendid Table Forum.

Lynne's Farmers' Market Tips

	© Minnesota Public Radio Maggie Skinner

Keeping Everything Fresh
• Keep an inexpensive cooler in the car, complete with bags of ice cubes or those frozen blocks.

• Have a big bucket half filled with water in the car to keep flowers fresh.

• Bring your own tote bags to the market. Recycle individual plastic bags, by bringing them with you and asking dealers to use them instead of theirs.

Enjoying the Market
• Don't buy until you've walked the entire market to see what's there. This is the time to stroll leisurely, enjoy the light, the sights, and seeing friends. Talk to the farmers. Find out who they are and what exactly they grow. Build relationships; everyone benefits from them.

• Look for organic growers and support them if at all possible. Their work helps the environment, besides often giving us safer and better-tasting food. If you're curious about what it takes to raise organic foods, these are the people who are usually delighted to answer your questions.

• Try new foods. Every week buy one thing you've never had before. Ask the farmer the best way to enjoy it. This way you may find you love the burgers from the dairy woman, or the fresh kohlrabi in mustardy dressing.

Finding the Best
• Taste. Always ask for a taste and offer to pay for it. Buying one tomato may save you from putting up a bushel of tasteless ones. Don't assume that because the food is fresh and local, it's going to be wonderful.

• Know when it was picked. With foods such as corn and peas that can lose their appealing sugars quickly, always ask when they were picked and always taste them raw before purchasing. Store in the refrigerator.

• Look. Know that often the prettiest peach or apple may not be the tastiest, but if anything is bruised, wilted, or tired-looking, don't buy it.

With peaches and apricots, once the area around the stem is no longer green, the fruit is ready for picking. A few days at room temperature will soften them slightly and bring them to good flavor. The darker the yellow portion of a peach, usually the sweeter it is.

• Size isn't everything. Often the smaller ear of corn, zucchini, or green bean is sweeter. Remember, pickling cucumbers can be delicious eaten raw. They often have distinctive, especially appealing character.

• Compare prices. The best buy might be down the next row.

Once You Get Home
• Store everything green in plastic bags in the refrigerator.

• Always keep tomatoes, garlic, onions, peaches, nectarines, and apricots at room temperature.

• If you have completely lost your head and bought far more than you need, get on the phone with friends and invite them to a cook-it-yourself farmers' market party. Have everyone bring an apron and a knife, and make it an evening of cooking together. Just keep the dishes simple - with the gorgeous flavors of just-harvested foods, you don't need to do much. Make sure to have some good bread, iced tea, and maybe wine. These are usually the best parties.

Read more farmer's market tips
from Splendid Table listeners.

Online Resources

USDA Farmers' Market Finder: Select your state to find a market near you.

The Saint Paul Farmers' Market: Lynne visited their downtown location (they also have several smaller satellite locations), a great source for locally grown produce.

Friends of the Saint Paul Farmers' Market: A nonprofit group working to improve and expand the market, they sponsored Lynne's visit.

Facts About Farmers' Markets: From the USDA's Agriculture Marketing Service.

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