The next meal you make will rely on the groceries you buy today, so you must figure out where to get the best items to bring something truly unique to your table. Fortunately, the farmers’ market is the ideal place to make that happen. Here’s a list of the things you need to buy the next time you visit one.
The Top 15 Grocery Items That Are Better to Buy at a Farmers’ Market
1. Apples
An apple a day keeps the doctor away as long as you buy the right one. Store-bought apples contain high levels of pesticides, so you should purchase organic apples if you want to stay away from chemicals.
That’s the main reason why you should buy apples from farmers but far from the only one. Like most items on this list, buying organic produce means enjoying a more colorful and tastier option, which improves every meal you make.
2. Asparagus
Asparagus is a vitamin-packed vegetable you can cook in many delicious ways, like boiling, baking, and roasting. It pairs well with meat and other vegetables. Unfortunately, most don’t bother with organic asparagus because this is one of the few vegetables you can eat without worrying about pesticides since it requires few chemicals to grow. Nevertheless, imported asparagus still gets plenty of nasty things thrown at it before hitting the store!
Because of that, it’s always a good idea to source all your asparagus needs from a local farmer. Plus, organically grown vegetables always taste better than their store-bought counterpart, so you know you get every benefit when you buy from farmers.
3. Beef
You won’t find beef in every market, but when you do, you have to take advantage. There’s a huge difference between store-bought beef and free-roaming beef. The latter is tastier, lower in fat, and full of fatty acids, which help with both mental and physical strength.
You can find beef from free-roaming animals in your local market. If you do, make sure to buy as much as you want, and think about whether or not to source all your meat from farmers, which is ethical and beneficial.
4. Berries
Do you want a breakfast smoothie or a late-night dessert? It doesn’t matter as long as you have berries! We’re talking about a superfood here: it’s a delicious, healthy, and versatile option you can adapt to different scenarios in many ways.
Having a cup full of berries is the same as eating a cup full of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins, so you know you’re getting a healthy snack when you buy berries from a farmer. What’s the best part about berries? They are as tasty as they’re delicious, so you’ll get plenty of fiber and other benefits because you won’t stop eating them!
5. Bread
Can you think about anything better than walking by a stand and smelling fresh bread right out of the oven? Fresh is the name of the game when you walk through the market, and farmers make no exception when it comes to baked goods!
That’s right: baked goods! There’s more than bread for you to buy. You’ll find bagels, croissants, and sourdough. Everything is handcrafted and homemade and ready for you to take home. Celiacs will also find gluten-free options for them to try.
6. Carrots
Did you know there are a lot of color combinations you can make when you buy carrots? There are purple, orange, white, and yellow carrots! You often see orange ones alone at the store, but you’re missing more than half of the colors (and flavors) a farmer can bring to your table.
The great thing about organic carrots is that you can eat them raw. You can also bake, boil, or roast them because we’re talking about a versatile vegetable here.
7. Eggs
You’re what you eat, and that same rule applies to other animals. Because of that, carefully choosing your eggs is a must: store-bought eggs come from chickens that don’t live happy lives and are trapped in cages eating a mixture of terrible food and chemicals.
In contrast, farmers allow their chickens to walk out in the sun, touch grass, and eat the food a chicken should eat. The big, tasty eggs these chickens lay are a result of that. Buying free-range eggs is an ethical and chemical-free way of doing things.
8. Grapes
Is there something grapes cannot help you with? They’re perfect as a healthy snack, an object to paint, and to make wine. There’s a reason why everyone from Greek gods to your neighbor loves grapes: they’re delicious, and they have many benefits, like their anti-inflammatory properties.
Unfortunately, store-bought grapes come with pesticides, so you should get them straight from a farmer if you want to avoid chemicals. They’re cheap and perfect for making jam, jelly, and juice.
9. Honey
It’s impossible to put into words the differences between fresh and store-bought honey: the aroma, consistency, and taste of fresh honey are unlike anything else you can think of. The best part is there’s no definitive honey flavor, so you’ll find countless options to try and fall in love with.
Here’s a piece of advice before you get in your car: always ask whether the honey is organic or not and where it comes from. Unfortunately, some farmers try to sneak in store-bought honey to sell, and that’s not what you want!
10. Mushrooms
This item is a bit of a tricky one! Few stores sell quality mushrooms, so it’s always a good idea to hit the farmers’ market when looking for such a thing. Of course, you could forage the forest to find the best ones. Then again, a farmer will pick and choose the best for you, and you don’t get dirty when you buy them.
Plus, a farmer will always have a wide variety of options for you to pick from, so the forest probably is the second-best place to get mushrooms!
11. Onions
The onions you can buy from a farmer are not the same as the ones you can buy in a store. There’s a huge difference between them: a farmer will sell you onions grown in this country, while stores usually import them from South America.
That may not seem like too much of a difference, but recent studies have shed light on the pesticides used on imported onions. These chemicals change how fruits and vegetables taste and may harm your body. More than a few good reasons to shop organic!
12. Peaches
You’ll probably get a peaches and cream craving when you’re in the middle of the summer. If that sounds like you, purchasing peaches fresh from the farm is the best way to deal with your more-than-justified yearning for that delicious dessert.
Keep in mind you’ll only find farmers selling peaches during the summer. There’s a reason for that! Farmers harvest this fruit during the summer. At any other point, stores import them from outside the country, and they don’t have the same quality or taste as the ones you’ll get from the farm.
13. Tomatoes
It doesn’t get any better than slicing fresh tomatoes from a farm and putting them in your salad. It’ll add a fantastic twist to an already family favorite and cost you little to nothing! Tomatoes are very cheap, even more so in a farmers’ market.
You’ll probably find no surprise in seeing this item on this list, but the tomatoes you’ll see in the market will wow you. They come in different colors and taste different depending on which ones you buy. They’re so tasty you can eat them like an apple!
14. Watermelons
You can get the perfect summer fruit at the store, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try the many types you’ll find on a farmer’s stand. You probably know the good old green and red watermelon, but there are other ones you can try, like the yellow and white ones.
If biting one too many seeds worries you, then don’t worry! You’ll find plenty of seedless watermelons on the stands.
15. Zucchinis
Most grocery stores have GMO zucchini, but farmers usually grow organic ones. Whether you ask for zucchini or summer squash (they’re the same thing) at the farmer stands, you’ll get a versatile vegetable you can bake, grill, or roast and know you’ll enjoy no matter how you cook it.
Similar to most items on this list, you’ll soon see there are different zucchinis for you to try and taste: different colors, sizes, and shapes. Purchase different ones and have a zucchini picnic. They all taste great!
Do you want to enjoy the best food and drink this town has to offer? Come visit us at Town’s End Stillhouse, so you can taste the many options we have to offer from our different menus and have a glass of one of our signature drinks.