Farmers Markets

Trying2Save_3

We have a Farmers Market in Reading, first Saturday in every month. If you go regularly you'll get to know the prices and what they sell etc. Tilehurst Allotments have a stall which sell our excess products. The money we raise goes towards the upkeep of the paths and to get a skip twice a year to clear the site of rubbish.

italiastar

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.

I think this is the mistake a lot of people make - why should it be - these are sometimes the same people who supply supermarkets. I agree that a lot of the products a very good and very expensive to go with it, but some is no different to the supermarket.

Pal

Not sure what you are suggesting is the mistake, but I totally agree that you need to ask lots of questions about the food, where it has come from and so on before buying. At least in a farmers market you get to ask the producers or people who know the producers.

At a supermarket you ask a minimum wage monkey who can barely spell Scotland, let alone know where it is or the name of the farm that the beef came from.

aliasojo

catznine wrote:

Can anyone tell me what to look for?

Eh........farmers?

italiastar

knowing that it has not been adulterated or abused before it gets to you.

This is what I was referring to as a mistake - Buying from a farmers market does not guarantee that it hasn't been adulterated or abused.

catznine

aliasojo wrote:

Eh........farmers?

I asked for that one didn't I? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

recovering_spendaholic

I try and use local shops like greengrocers, butchers etc but am getting fed up because of the prices they charge and the lack of nice quality stuff in my greengrocers particularly. I went in yesterday for some potatoes and they had some locals, unwashed. I asked for 5lb and he charged me £4.75:eek: I said that I didn't want them and bought 5lb of cyprus instead which still cost me £2. The only other potatoes he had were King Edwards and Jerseys, neither of which I wanted. The fruit he had on show looked, for the most part, past it's best. The butchers is a bit better, but still really expensive.

I am going to a farmers market about 6 miles away later this morning and have never been to one before - can anyone tell me what sorts of things are good to look for?

Ishtar

I can only sympathise - it's the same here. Market is expensive and the fruit/veggies are ropey. Greengrocers the same. What's worse is the butcher, so expensive as to be prohibitive...I bought a 1lb of sausages quite a while back and was charged over £5 :eek: . At nearly a pound a sausage we made sure we really enjoyed them!

Farmers markets are usually very good - lots of local produce. The meat is usually particularly good, along with seasonal vegetables and fruit.

Many, if not all, of them offer little tasters of their goods.

Have fun
D.

Farway

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

I try and use local shops like greengrocers, butchers etc but am getting fed up because of the prices they charge and the lack of nice quality stuff in my greengrocers particularly. I went in yesterday for some potatoes and they had some locals, unwashed. I asked for 5lb and he charged me £4.75:eek: I said that I didn't want them and bought 5lb of cyprus instead which still cost me £2. The only other potatoes he had were King Edwards and Jerseys, neither of which I wanted. The fruit he had on show looked, for the most part, past it's best. The butchers is a bit better, but still really expensive.

I am going to a farmers market about 6 miles away later this morning and have never been to one before - can anyone tell me what sorts of things are good to look for?

Your experience mirrors mine, I know people go on about use local shops / markets etc, but I do think this depends where you live, may be fine in large city but in my area the supermarkets are really the only place for reasonable quality stuff sad to say

My local [10 miles away] farmers market is on a Sunday, no buses there on Sunday from where I live, so that knocks that on the head:mad:

dfwz

Direct from the farm is best in my opinion. You get more for your money and it's much better quality.

It's even cheaper if you use the box schemes for meat and veg and stock your freezer up.