Comments on: What You Need To Know About Farmer’s Markets – And Ten Tips For Maximizing Your Money There

By: et

et — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:48:49 +0000

We sold fresh perishable produce for 5 years at a local certified market. We found all the vendors AND patrons to be scrupulously honest & generous. Vendors are very aware of the need for competitive pricing. Scales are monitored by the state. We’d round down or throw in a little extra, provided samples/recipes/helpful hints; buyers would tell us to keep the change. Although we didn’t like having to load up/dispose of leftovers, it was also discouraging that it seemed that people who could more easily afford to pay full price would routinely show up late & expect a bargain (or come early another day & STILL expect the bargain price). Our market had a couple of homeless shelters & food banks that would come around at the end, to which we willingly gave donations. The best outcome for us? Even though we no longer sell there, when we shop there the vendors we had worked alongside still give us items at no or greatly reduced cost! If you have ever tried to grow enough produce to sell, you’d know how much effort goes into the process & would never try to haggle with the farmers again. They earn every penny they ask for.

By: Steph

Steph — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:41:48 +0000

Andy – no.
LC – get a life.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:13:50 +0000

I work at a couple local farmer’s markets and the best tip I can give is to be friendly. Making eye contact, smiling, chatting etc. is appreciated and in some cases it can get you a rounded down price on the weighed produce.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:08:47 +0000

Mine even had the sierra club there last week giving away FREE fluorescent light bulbs. I scored big time!

By: Dboy

Dboy — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 03:39:16 +0000

Cheap and fresh veggies, fresh herbs, dried herbs in bulk, tofu, and rice, can also be found at asian grocery stores.

Dboy

By: PD

PD — Mon, 28 May 2007 00:33:40 +0000

I used to work at a farmer’s market and for produce it’s true that the best stuff is usually available first thing in the morning (especially for perishables like berries & tomatoes), on the other hand it is definitely possible to get major deals at the very end of the day. As noted above, and from personal experience, the folks working there are not particularly motivated to put things *back* on the truck.

The best time to take advantage of this is fall: loose potatoes, apples, pumpkins, squashes, etc.

By: lc

lc — Mon, 28 May 2007 00:03:05 +0000

count your change

By: Andy

Andy — Sun, 27 May 2007 23:17:31 +0000

Is haggling appropriate?

By: r

Sun, 27 May 2007 16:54:06 +0000

Foodstamps! Yes! EA, that’s a great point: traditionally, farmer’s markets have been carefully set up to accept food stamps. Although the switch from actual stamps to cards has made this more difficult, it’s still a central goal and works in many places. Thanks for the reminder!

By: Marcus Murphy

Marcus Murphy — Fri, 18 May 2007 02:05:32 +0000

I love our Farmer’s Market here in San Diego. It being such a fair climate year round there is always a farmers market. It is huge and there is always something new to discover. Although you usually would advise going early, since it is such a huge market here many farmers are overstocked on a lot of things. That and my favorite fruit farmer has a $5 baggit sale half an hour before the end. $5 nets you a plastic bag that you can cram as much fruit into as possible. $10 will usually net me the whole weeks worth of fruit and some leftover to make pastries, fruit tarts and the like (that freeze well).

All in all a good post for people who are relatively new to farmer’s markets =)

By: EA

EA — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:33:52 +0000

You don’t always need cash, often a check will do. Or in some places you have more options.

The farmer’s market I used to frequent (in a New England town of 4 or 5 thousand people) had a pilot program with a foodstamp-card reader (I don’t know what it’s called). There was a booth at the edge of the market using power and a phoneline donated from the church next door that allowed people with foodstamps (on a debit-card type thing) and WIC to get “farmer’s market money” they could use to buy fresh food at the market. At the end of the day, the farmers turned that scrip in for a check from the program which they could deposit like any other check.

By: Kirk Wylie

Kirk Wylie — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:31:35 +0000

Don’t forget two other rules, both relatively related:

1) Be VERY careful about samples. Although it’s nice to have the samples, most farmers markets don’t have any ability to clean anything as they go, and so they’re not necessarily hygienic (even less hygienic than your typical supermarket where they have washing up facilities). Be very careful here.

2) Things NEED washing. Many people don’t bother to wash anything from a supermarket because the supermarket does a pretty good job of making sure that apples and the like are pretty safe. Not so from a farmers market, where there’s a near 100% chance that the organic apple needs to be washed before it’s safe to eat from a hygiene perspective.

By: TheGlutton

TheGlutton — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 09:35:43 +0000

Also you can find farms all over the country that allow you pick your own..

http://www.pickyourown.org/

By: TheGlutton

TheGlutton — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 09:31:46 +0000

If you are not local to a farmers market or a farm you can search using a great tool for locating fresh veggies and/or farmer markets:

http://www.localharvest.org/

By: 3bean

3bean — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 03:46:48 +0000

Here’s another tip: Some localities “Farmer’s Markets” also include produce sellers who aren’t the farmers…. ie, people who buy wholesale produce and re-sell. If it’s important to you to buy from local producers, ask around and get to know your vendors. Another tip-off that you’re buying from produce wholesalers are big cardboard boxes under the table atht don’t look they came from your local farm or if they’re selling produce th0at isn’t in season.

By: Tyler

Tyler — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 03:34:45 +0000

My dad has been selling his produce at farmers markets for quite a few years. These are all good tips. I would also add is to ask about a lower price if you buy a bunch of something.

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 01:37:30 +0000

Sometimes it pays to go late. Many vendors will offer deals on produce ( like 3 lbs of green beans for a buck) so that they don’t have to take it home with them