Shopping at your local GrowNYC Greenmarket 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. Ideally more than one: Ecology is a great reason to shop at GrowNYC Greenmarket. 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. Pack produce bags for loose, sturdier fruits and vegetables such as potatoes, apples, onions, and roots. Bring along Tupperware for fragile fruits (key during berry season), fish, beans, baked goods, and more. For products sold by weight, ask your producer to tare your containers! (P.S. Become a Friend of GrowNYC and as a thanks we’ll send you a free 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.
- Learn to freeze or jar: At Greenmarkets, 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.
- Strike up a conversation with a fellow shopper. Ask them what they’re cooking, which farmer sells their favorite eggs, or how long they’ve been shopping at this market. Not feeling chatty? Giving someone a smile goes a long way!
- Participate in market activities. Stop by the Market Information Tent to see what’s cooking, literally and metaphorically! Sample recipes from cooking demos and then shop for those ingredients to recreate at home. Play along when we host frequent shopper challenges, trivia games, guess-the-weight competitions, and more. Visit our event calendar to see what’s happening at a market near you.
- Get to know your farmers and producers. Start by learning the names of your favorite stands. Then take it a step further and sign up for their mailing list. Follow them on Instagram. Peruse their website. Learn about their practices and processes. Be curious!