Farmers Markets

catznine · 6 May 2005 at 10:58AM

:j Have just found out that we have a farmers market near here on first Sunday in month! I have never been to one before but no excuse not to go now. Can anyone tell me what to look for? i.e. best bargains regarding price and quality. I am hoping to supplement the organic fuit and veg boxes I have delivered twice a month.

catznine · 6 May 2005 at 6:21PM

Oh dear! doesn't anyone go to these? I tried to do a search on Farmers Markets but nothing came up

Can anyone help? Pretty please!

ribenagirl · 6 May 2005 at 6:22PM

We have one once a month, and I mostly go for local eggs and veggies, (which isn't going to be much good if you already have a box

) and occasionally for a treat I'll buy some nice local cheese (yummy but expensive!!)

VickyA_2 · 6 May 2005 at 6:38PM

We have a farmer's market near us too. Mainly it has veggies (locally grown, so vary according to season), free range eggs, all sorts of meat including Aberdeen Angus, ostrich, sausages of various varieties, organic meat, fish, flowers and plants oh and locally grown and pressed apple juice which is just GORGEOUS. Oooh, and bread, cakes. Mmmmmmm.

squeaky · 6 May 2005 at 7:34PM

catznine wrote:

Oh dear! doesn't anyone go to these? I tried to do a search on Farmers Markets but nothing came up Can anyone help? Pretty please!

Hang on while I go look, 'cos I just saw a reference to a site that might help you...

...

..here ya go... http://www.bigbarn.co.uk

MrsMW · 6 May 2005 at 7:49PM

We have one every month and I buy pork from a local farm, the sausages are gorgeous and about the same price as good quality supermarket ones. I also buy butter £2.50 for a big slab and anything else which takes my husbands fancy.

Katgoddess · 6 May 2005 at 8:04PM

Pressed apple juice tastes fabulous. My one also has baked cakes which are yummy.

italiastar · 6 May 2005 at 8:07PM

It may depend where you are, but most items at our local Farmers Market (Surrey) is expensive. The meat is good, but more expensive than the supermarkets - why should it be when they've cut out several middlemen? Remember also that because it's a Farmers Market, it does not mean that the product is Organic - if it doesn't say so, then it probably isn't. We now only go to buy eggs and poultry, which are excellent quality and well priced.

They great going round, particularly with Children as they can get to taste samples and try new things. Just do you homework, and make sure you don't pay over the odds.

Pal · 6 May 2005 at 10:04PM

The key is to make sure that you are getting something different from going to the farmers market than you would get at a supermarket, especially if you are going to pay a bit more as a result.

Farmers markets are all about knowing where the food has come from and knowing that it has not been adulterated or abused before it gets to you. You want to be able to talk to the people who make the food about it. Many stalls are no different from grocers shops or local butchers - some are very good, some are as bad as the supermarkets.

Ask the storeholders WHICH FARM the meat or veg comes from. If they don't know, or just respond with something like "somewhere in Scotland", then pass them buy. The good market holders will know exactly where the goods come from and how they got to you. They will WANT to tell you all about what they are selling, how it was reared, how fresh it is, and so on.

Always look at the ingredients on any tins or jars that you buy. Many are fantastic, but some will contain just as many E numbers and processed ingredients as supermarket versions.

In the end, if you want to buy crap food reasonably cheaply, then go to a supermarket. The key when going to a farmers market is to get good food for a reasonable price, or average food very cheaply.

Finally, find out when the market ends and go a couple of hours before then. You should be able to pick up huge amounts of vegetables on the cheap if the storeholder doesn't think they will be able to sell them all that day. Make them a cheeky offer on a whole box of rhubarb/tomatoes or whatever else is in season.

Sarahsaver · 6 May 2005 at 10:12PM

Farmers?;)
seriously, there is one here the last wednesdsay of every month. I would say the bread looks good, i no longer need the eggs as my hens do that job for me, but the meat, special things like the lamb, ostrich and venison, something you would never get in the supermarket! Some of the vegetables looked good, go for things which have a short season and get them at their prime.

furrypig · 7 May 2005 at 10:18AM

I agree with previous posters that Farmers markets can be brill and the kids love wandering around and trying the cheeses etc etc. We go fairly regularly to one in Milford (Surrey) and one in Guildford (Surrey) and you get to know the best stalls for certain things ie we always buy organic chicken from the same farmer as they are really yummy. You can get game too if that is something you like, one even sold wild boar!!

They can be expensive but depends what you are after, have fun anyway.

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Farmers Markets

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