Farmers' Market

I really enjoy going to the farmers' market. Its what I do on Saturday mornings (plus there is a great bakery on my walk there). I am lucky to live in a place which features markets six days a week in various locations. Lately I've been buying at least five pounds of peaches and a pound of green beans a week. Also I will pick up, from time to time, potatoes, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, and basil. Farmers' markets really do provide the freshest and best quality produce, often pesticide free. Please find one in your area and support local farmers. But I will give my warnings. Always check your produce before you buy. I have found vendors who's green beans wilt after a few days, while others last for a week or longer in my fridge. Check your peaches and other fruit carefully, look for soft spots, especially near the stems. Don't buy too much, nothing is worse then spending a lot of money to watch it rot in the fridge. Buy what you think you can cook. Buy things that you are curious about. Buy things which will make you want to cook at home instead of grabbing fast food after work. Finally shop carefully. There are some items which are just overpriced. But as an example of good prices I offer the price of lemons. At a local grocery store they are charging 79 cents a lemon. I can get lemons at 6 for $1 at the local farmers' market. (Although there is a store on Mission st. in SF where you could get them for 10 for $1).

My farmers' markets (current and past):
http://www.sbfarmersmarket.org/
http://www.sfgov.org/site/alemany_index.asp
http://www.cuesa.org/