Went to the local farm store for their freshly picked strawberries on Friday and have vowed never again to buy the abominations that the local supermarket labels as strawberries.
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I love our local farmers market but admit I rarely go. It’s Saturday morning and I am so comfortable at home that I don’t make the effort to get there. We have a Sunday one that is 1/4 the size that I sometimes go to if I’m in the area. Our farmers market is 95% fruits and vegetables. A couple of bread vendors, meat and flowers. No crafts, no prepared foods aside from bread and hummus.
This thread is a good reminder that I should go more.
When we go to a vacation home in our fa,ily I always hit the framers market. We always get the fresh kettle corn, tamales and bbq tri tip. Seasonally love when it’s grape season.
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Tamales is a good reason to go! 
We don’t have a farmer’s market in my town anymore, but there’s one in the next town. Also, there’s an organic farmstead nearby as well and we get all sorts of produce from this farm. They also sell seedlings. H is getting more tomato plants to put in our deck garden this week. I was a bit disappointed by the one in our town because there were more non-produce vendors than those selling produce.
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Our county rules require that vendors participating in their markets be within 100 miles and provide only the product of their own operation. The farmers produce is all seasonal and super fresh. So much better quality than the stores. The bakers are there and the meat and eggs vendor. The coffee guy who blends and grinds his own is there. A mid eastern vendor, a tai vendor and an empanada vendor. All make their own fresh for the market. Ours is in the park next door on Thursday morning seasonally.. a larger one is open year round about 3 miles away and has more prepared food varieties.
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Sounds WONDERFUL.
The local to the area product here of note is pierogis!
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Our market is really just getting started. Asparagus, ramps, herbs, mushrooms for now.
We went to our D’s farmer’s market in NC this weekend and she picked up kale, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, honey, green onions, and eggs.
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What none of our farmers’ markets have (we have a number of them around town) is parking! The one closest to us just had to relocate because the strip mall it has been in for years has/had a JoAnn’s and a Party City so is likely to be razed and they don’t want the market there anymore. Move to a nearby church parking lot, but the lot is taken up by the vendors and thus parking is in a neighborhood only. Another is in the lot near a mall where it has been for 40 years, but no longer on the west side, now on the east side, and it is ‘pay to park’. My sister went once for flowers and said ‘screw it, I’ll just go to Trader Joe’s’ (and TJ’s parking really sucks, so you can image how bad the parking was at the mall). Another one is in the street of a upscale business district with restaurants and small shops, so people like to go for brunch and stroll around, but talk about NO PARKING! There are veggie stalls and honey and flowers, but also a lot of more commercial things like clothing and candles and jewelry too. Okay for once a year, but not every weekend.
The parking is not ideal for any of the ones I go to either. Honestly, part of that is due to the volume of people who are attending. You’d think they were giving away food!
I think all of our markets also have food trucks. I think that is a big draw - people buy food, and buy food!
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Went to our farmer’s market this morning. Still early in the growing season for the local farmers (which are the only stands we shop at) so asparagus, lettuces, morel mushrooms, and radishes. We also got some wonderful southwest shiitake mushroom tamales from our mushroom vendor. I wanted to get some eggs and peonies but they were a small fortune. (I’m not paying $9/dozen for eggs and $2.50 a stem for peonies). Our market had organic free range eggs for $4.50 and I’ll have my own peonies blooming by next week.
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Our peonies are past peak now - too fast! Wow, I pay $5/dozen at the farmers market for eggs. $9 would be a no for me too.
We have a market that is open every Tuesday year round, which I went to regularly until last fall. Many of the produce vendors quit, and then this year a lot of prices increased significantly. I used to be able to buy eggs at a really good price, but then they started to price them at $9 a dozen. No thanks. My grocery store never increased their egg prices when all the local farmers were, so I’ll reward them with my business.
There is a local Amish family that has a store open six days a week. They grow their own fruit and some vegetables. I’m going there to pick my own cherries on Thursday. They have good peaches and apples also. Not cheap, but excellent quality.
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We had a family farm up the street from my house when I was younger. It was owned by an older couple and their 50ish son (I think he had Down Syndrome). OMG I miss those veggies and flowers! In August my mother would send me up for tomatoes, Silver Queen corn (fresh picked), and some other veggies, peaches. Next night, same!
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Went to opening day at my local farm market yesterday. Too early in the growing season, so not much fresh produce. The local food trucks were doing good business.
We’re entering my favorite time. Although strawberries are wrapping up, blueberries and raspberries are coming in and peaches are just a week or 2 away. So yummy.
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We love Farmers Markets… for the experience as much as the goods.
My D just graduated and has moved to a new city. She and her roomie walked to the nearby farmers market over the weekend, found a few goodies but mainly used it as an opportunity to chat with locals and learn more about the area. My D met a lovely Frenchwoman who told her about a social group for French speakers (native or otherwise). My D wants to keep up her language skills so plans to check it out. That was a win for the day!
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