For those aspiring to shop at farmers' markets with confidence, experts have shared their top tips on sourcing the freshest local produce. Brittany Chang, who devises weekly meal plans using ingredients from New York City's Union Square Greenmarket, emphasises the importance of comparison shopping. 'Take a few laps around the market and note what each vendor charges for the produce you want. Compare these prices before you buy anything. It helped me save a lot of money when I first started shopping at the market,' she advises.
Timing can also yield discounts. Nisha Vora, author of Big Vegan Flavor, suggests visiting later in the day when vendors are eager to sell remaining stock. 'When you go later in the day, they are trying to get rid of stuff. They'll be more eager to get things off their hands that they haven't sold,' she says. For those without easy access to a farmers' market, recipe developer Tiffany Bach recommends produce subscription services such as Farm to People in New York and New Jersey, or Farmbox California and Gather and Deliver in Texas.
Local produce isn't confined to markets. Vora advises looking for 'locally grown' signs at grocery stores, and asking staff for help identifying regional items. 'Generally, people at these jobs are very happy to help you,' she notes. Seasonal highlights include niche pepper varieties in the autumn and fiddlehead ferns in late spring, which Chang describes as a 'fun, creative hobby'. Essential gear includes a quality produce bag, such as an expandable organic cotton mesh tote or a beeswax-lined linen bag for bread storage.
