~by Patti Edwardson for the Greene County farmers market
Shopping at a farmers market can be fun and rewarding, but may be unfamiliar and unpredictable to some customers.
Unlike a grocery store, the producers set up their displays of seasonal fruits and vegetables, honey, meat, eggs, baked goods and other locally-produced and locally-made items just once a week for a few hours. Some items at a farmers market are limited in supply and may sell out quickly. Some items may seem high priced.
It’s important to remember that growers depend on the changing weather conditions and their own labor to bring the freshest produce to the customer. They try to supply the usual favorites as well as unique and unusual foods. Most of the vendors at today’s farmers markets grow and prepare high-quality food for a living. They often grow without chemicals, work long hours, and care deeply about the quality of the food they sell.
The challenges of growing, harvesting, transporting, and displaying the various items for the customer can be great. However, producers are eager to share their experiences. They are able to tell shoppers how each item was grown or raised, how to cook with it, and how to store it. All in all, buying fresh food at a farmers market can make meals healthier. Here are some examples of easy and delicious meals that could be made from foods purchased at the Greene County farmers market last week.
For breakfast, start with scrambled eggs from Price Family Farms and add cinnamon rolls or granola from Better for You Bakery; strawberry quick bread from Cherri Cain; or, a slice of bread from Ram Restaurant slathered with grape jam from John 15 Vineyard or honey from Bee Mindful.
For lunch, chop and slice vegetables, toss with olive oil and seasonings, and roast in the oven. This could include red potatoes from Tony Pille’s Sun Gold Farms or from Bull Head 1915 farm, snap peas from Brad Tronchetti’s farm, green beans and cabbage from Sun Gold Farms, and onions from Deal’s Orchard. Leftovers would be wonderful served cold. Finish the meal with a pastry from Ram Restaurant.
For dinner, get out of the kitchen and put it all on the grill. Try steak or hamburger from Moo Meat, a mix of potatoes from Sun Gold and Bull Head, and sweet corn from Deal’s Orchard. Add a glass of tea flavored with mint from Price Family Farms and sweetened with Bee Mindful’s honey. Finish with a pie from the market’s bakers: John 15 Vineyard, Cherri Cain, and Better for You Bakery.
Discover your own meals at the next market on Tuesday, July 14, from 4 to 6:30 pm on the courthouse square in Jefferson. Along with some shopping, you can snack on popcorn from the Aktion Club, pick up a free plant from the Jefferson Garden Club, and enjoy a meal served by RSVP 55+. They will have Moo burgers, donated by Mike Holden of Moo Meat, along with chips, cookies, and a drink. “The Greene County farmers market is a shopping experience where you will find good food and friendly smiles,” a spokesperson said.
