How To Tackle Your Local Farmers Market

Farmers markets are such cool things that alot of cities are lucky to have. Everyone should take advantage of them and know how to tackle them.You can shop for many things such as local produce, homemade goodies, jewelry, plants, herbs and so much more. Every one of them is different and you'll never know what your local one has until you check it out! Here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind...

1. Bring a bag- Granted, this may seem like a no-brainer, but I know from personal experience that a large tote bag can come in very handy when trying to lug around a days worth of goodies found at the market.

2. Be on time- Plan your visit, if you don't arrive in the first hour or two of the opening time you may miss out on the prime products. Towards the end of the day a lot of times there's not much left to choose from and you're stuck with the so-so stuff, although keep in mind the prices do go down the farther the day goes on.

3. Don't be afraid to bargain- I know it may seem a little awkward at first to throw out a price but hey, as my dad always says, If you never ask for what you want you'll never get it. Now keep in mind, be reasonable when making an offer. But most times farmers are flexible on their prices and their main goal is to sell all the product they brought for the day so they don't have to lug it all home.

4. Ask questions- Don't be afraid to ask where the produce was grown or what chemicals were used. These are important questions that ultimatley tell you what you produce to buy and not to buy. You want to know what you're putting in your body.

5. Get your weekly groceries- Many times, you can get your weekly groceries out of the way by getting them at the farmers market. Usually cheese, fruits, veggies, bread, honey, coffee, and other weekly buys are all available.

6. Bring cash- I ran out of cash halfway through the market, and even though some (if not most) booths take debit or credit cards you don't want to risk it if you find some amazing treasure and then can't buy it because that booth doesn't happen to take cards. 

Here are a few shots of a farmers market I visited recently...



 Hope you're a little more prepared now to explore your local farmers market! :)