Shopping at your local GrowNYC Greenmarket and Farmstand is an art form, a cross between a treasure hunt, social event, and grocery run. Read our tips and tricks on how to make the most of your haul:
- Don’t make a shopping list: See what’s good when you get there. Buy what’s best and let that dictate your menu. Books sorted by produce type will help you cook it all up.
- Shop around: especially at bigger markets. Each stand has its own prices, growing practices, quality standards, and story. You’ll quickly find your favorites!
- Try something new to you: The old adage is true: variety is the spice of life. Supermarkets specialize in thick-skinned produce that has been bred not for flavor but for shipability. That means you’ll probably find only 2 or 3 types of apples there, but at GrowNYC markets you’ll find dozens (we have over 100 at Greenmarket).
- The same is true for tomatoes, potatoes and peppers (hundreds of varieties each) and much more. Also at the farmers market you’ll find many foods you’ve never encountered before: duck eggs, kohlrabi, fresh shell beans, hardneck garlic.
- If you only buy the foods you know, you’re missing out on some of the most extraordinary taste experiences of your life. Also, by buying these less-popular varieties, you’re encouraging farmers to grow them. Although we are used to thinking about extinction as something that happens to overharvested wild foods, it just as surely happens to domesticated species that fall out of favor. By paying a farmer to grow that delicious old variety of lettuce or squash, you’re ensuring it will be around for generations to come.
- Go early: Unlike the grocery store, which is fully stocked one minute before closing, farmers plan to sell out by day’s end, so early birds definitely catch the worm. Also, GrowNYC markets are outdoors and although tomatoes don’t mind hours in the sun, lettuce does. What’s not sold out by the afternoon may well be wilted. (That said, you can sometimes find particularly good deals in the afternoon at Greenmarkets, when farmers are eager to sell out, and go home!)
- Bring your own bags: Ecology is a great reason to shop at GrowNYC Greenmarket and Farmstand. Take it one step further by bringing your own bags. Cloth or canvas shoulder bags are especially great because those plastic bag handles can really dig into your hands when you’re loaded up with purchases. P.S. Become a Friend of GrowNYC and as a thanks we’ll send you a tote!
- Bring a cooler or ice pack: Many farmers offer great eggs, meat, fish and dairy. If you’re ready to keep them cold, you won’t have to run straight home. Which is great because the markets are a social scene, and a great place to linger and catch up with neighbors.
- Talk to strangers and make a morning of it: The markets are a great place to meet your neighbors and community. Sociology studies have shown that people are ten times as likely to talk to strangers at farmers markets compared to supermarkets. Bring your dog, bring your kids, a friend or two, enjoy your time!
- Don’t require organic: Organic foods are wonderful because they don’t use synthetic chemicals and are therefore better for the environment and for people who eat them. However, recent changes to the National Organic Program mean there’s an awful lot of paperwork for each crop. Small farmers who sell direct may grow hundreds of crops, and the paperwork or expense of organic certification can be too much of a burden. But small farmers are deeply and personally invested in the health of the land where they raise their families. Ask them how they farm.
- Learn to freeze or jar: At Greenmarkets and Farmstands, produce is only available when it is being harvested in the region. The bad news: that means many fresh foods like peas to cherries to peaches to tomatoes are only available for a few weeks. The good news: when they’re in season, they’re abundant, often a bargain, and absolutely at their peak of flavor. Savvy market shoppers often load up when their favorite foods are at market, and for the rest of the year feast on peach jam, tomato salsa, basil pesto, or frozen corn. The taste is beyond compare.