The farmer’s market offers you the opportunity to access fresh and locally-grown produce. There are different products such as fruits, dairy, vegetables, and baked goods therefore the choice might become overwhelming. This happens mostly when you have specific items in mind to buy for your meal. You can either end up buying less or more. Following are tips for shopping farmer’s market in West Greenville, SC:
Take a Walk Around the Market
Touring the market before the actual shopping in the market is a better way to begin in a farmer’s market. There are several vendors selling the same products at different prices. So getting the best price mean that you have to walk around the market to note differences in the prices.
It also helps you know the available ingredients; you might be needing to swap out some ingredients on your list. In addition, a quick tour is the best way to access different discounts in the market.
Meal Planning
Before going to the market, you already know what you will be needing, so plan your meal and shop accordingly. List out the things you are buying and their respective prices. While compiling your list, ensure you write out alternative ingredients as some of the ingredients might be out of stock.
Timing
Timing is important while shopping, if you want to buy the freshest produce, you should be there early enough. If you want fresh farm eggs, tomatoes, and other produce the best time should be when the market opens.
However, if you are only shopping for regular ingredients and also to see some cooking demos you can do anytime. There is no right or wrong time to enter the market, it all depends on what you are buying.
Sample Food Items
You can try sampling some products in the market. There are vendors in the market offering fruits, baked goods, and veggies for sampling. There is no commitment to buy, so you can always try them. They also want you to try the products and hopefully end up buying them.
Bring Different Sizes of Bags
Generally, reusable bags are mostly what we use while shopping at regular stores. Sometimes, buyers go along with larger totes to pack items. However, it is always advisable you go along with smaller bags apart from the larger totes. These smaller bags will help you separate produce and protect items like tomatoes and other herbs.
If you are worried about carrying a lot of bags, you can use transportation services in retirement communities to help with the loads.
Try a New Food Item
While it’s important to go along with the list of items you want to buy. Do not shy away from trying new food. The farmer’s market offers different products that are not available in a grocery store, therefore you have the opportunity to try something new. You don’t have to spend a lot on new food, keep it at a minimum to avoid waste.
Therefore, ensure you are buying new food items as it will increase your dining options. You can ask the vendor to recommend something new for you to try and how to prepare it.
