Tips

The typical vegetable now travels 1,500 miles from farm to plate. Now’s the season to buck the trend and reconnect with your food at your local farmers’ market. Here’s how.

1. If possible, plan to ride-share to the farmers’ market.

2. Shop early to get the best food and to avoid missing out on unusual items.

3. Arrive with sturdy cloth bags, a backpack, or a basket, and plan to pay cash. Bring more money than you think you’ll need, and lots of small bills and change.

4. Shop smart. A head of farmers’ market lettuce can appear higher priced than at the megamart, but may also be much larger. Many people find they need smaller amounts of market foods when cooking because fresh food is more flavorful.

5. Bring the kids. The market experience goes a long way toward raising children who eat their vegetables.

6. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. When was the corn picked? How do you cook squash flowers? How “free range” are the “free-range chickens”?

7. Ask for a taste and offer to pay for it. Explore, experiment, experience new foods.

8. Ask how to! Most farmers are happy to suggest ways to prepare a food you’ve never tried before. Buy strange looking fruits and vegetables . . . they are often heritage varieties bred for taste rather than shelf life or visual appeal.

9.Support local growers. In some locations, organic certification is out of reach for small farms. Ask farmers if they follow the ‘farmers' pledge’ and follow organic guidelines.

10. Plan to go home right after the market, or bring a cooler.

11. Seasonal eating calls for different meal planning. Instead of picking a recipe and then shopping for the ingredients, buy what’s in season and then look for recipes to match.

12. Use the Internet. Many farms now have websites with everything from food philosophy to photos of the living conditions of farm animals.

Got a farmers’ market tip or story? Let us know.