A visit to a farmers' market is no mere trip to the grocery store. Instead, you'll ramble past a luscious array of heirloom tomatoes, crisp ears of corn that were still on the stalk a few hours ago, and a wealth of locally-grown produce--including some you might not find in a commercial supermarket. This is a great way for kids to connect with the food they consume, and they might even be more enthusiastic about eating fruit and vegetables if they get to pick it out themselves.
Marketing Tips
- Look for locally-grown items to support farmers in your region.
- Ask lots of questions. If the produce isn't familiar, let growers explain what it is and how to use it in a recipe.
- Expand your culinary horizons. Challenge your kids (and yourself) to choose at least one thing you've never tried before, then take it home and give it a try.
- Graze. If you've never sampled a peach at the peak of ripeness, this is your opportunity. Most growers offer small tastings of their wares.
- Buy only what you can use in a week. Use up lettuces and delicate items quickly. Carrots, apples, and heartier greens can be eaten later in the week.
- Bring a couple of big, sturdy bags or a collapsible cart to tote your harvest.
Fresh Tomatoes
- Probably the most popular market item, tomatoes taste best when fully ripe. That's also when they’re the most fragile.
- Shopping tip: be gentle. Ripe tomatoes are firm and have a wonderful aroma. If they're rock hard or don't give off any scent, they're not ripe.
Fresh Corn
- Although varieties of corn grown today stay sweet for longer, corn is always sweetest just after it's picked. Eat it the same day you buy it.
- Shopping tip: look for moist, green husks. Resist peeling back the top of husk because that dries out the corn; instead, run your hand over the outside of the husk to feel for corn kernels that are plump.
Fresh Summer Fruits & Berries
- From peaches and plums to cherries and berries, summer fruit is often best when rinsed and eaten right out of hand.
- Shopping tip: for berries, look for plump fruit rather than shriveled and use up quickly. Stone fruits like peaches and plums should smell fragrant; don't squeeze it, or you'll bruise ripe fruit.
Fresh Greens & Lettuces
- Greens and lettuces range in flavor from mild (leaf lettuces, spinach, chard) to strong (broccoli rabe, turnip greens, collards, and mustard greens).
- Shopping tip: look for crisp, well-hydrated leaves. Spots of yellow and limp leaves are a sign that greens are older and losing flavor.
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