How to navigate the Farmer’s Market like a budget-savvy pro

By Brittany Anas

Chances are, there’s a farmer’s market in your neck of the woods. And, chances are even better that you can find some of the best pickings there and at an incredibly good price. Because farmer’s markets rely on locally grown food, you can expect fresh finds that haven’t been trucked across the country.

With the help of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, we’ve got ways you can get the best bang for your buck at your local market.

1. The early bird gets the worm. But if you show up later you could get the deals. Academy spokeswoman Joan Salge Blake says there are two great strategies for shopping the market. If you want your pick of the best fruit (you know, the selection that is just so pretty you can’t help but want to put it on display in a fruit basket on your kitchen table), get to the market as early as you can. But, if you’re looking for deals — go ahead and enjoy a leisurely morning and arrive a little later. When the markets are getting ready to shut down, you can get some produce at dramatically reduced prices.

2. Have a chat with the farmer: One thing we love about the farmer’s markets is you’ve pretty much got an expert at every booth. Got a question about how to prepare eggplant or what kind of desserts you might be able to make with apples? Go ahead and ask away, says Blake. “These are their babes so they love to tell you all about it,” she says in a news release. “And they could tell you how to prepare it, cook it and eat it.”

3. Find a farmer’s market near you: If you love fresh produce, bookmark this site: LocalHarvest.org. It will help you find fresh food close to you. The best part, you can enter your zip code and it will find all of the farmer’s markets happening near you and give you all the details you need.

Love the way fresh fruit looks in your kitchen? Here’s a few fruit bowls that would be great for a kitchen table centerpiece:

• White ‘Emma’ footed fruit bowl from Pottery Barn for $45. 
• Isaac Mizrahi fruit pedestal from Macy’s for $36
• Circular metallic fruit bowl from Wal-Mart for $18.97

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