Farmer's Market Mania

Ah the Farmer's Market, my favorite part of summer.  I love browsing through all the delicious, fresh picked produce, mingling with the farmer's, dining on homemade breakfast burritos and being a part of the community. You've never truly tasted a cucumber until you've eaten an organic locally grown cucumber from the Farmer's Market. Pure Bliss. I also love trying out unique vegetables such as kohlrabi and amaranth.  This week I took home quite a haul. Purple, red and golden potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, pearl onions, purple cabbage, kohlrabi, tomatillo's, orange and purple cauliflower, bok choy, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, purple and standard basil, micro greens, alfalfa sprouts, okra, peas, green beans, amaranth, sugar snap peas and cilantro. Whew!! I also snagged the most delicious pecans I've ever tasted and a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie.

There are so many fantastic deals at the market, plus there is something special about buying your produce directly from your local farmer. Often they will provide tips and recipes for cooking some of the rarer vegetables they are selling. A few tips for attending the farmer's market:

1. The Early Bird Catches the Worm.  The earlier you can get there, the better.  Usually by mid-morning popular items such as tomatoes, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, and anything at the end of it's season are long gone.
2. Bring Your Own Bags
3. Do a Walk Through Before Making Any Purchases. This way you can determine the best deals, the best looking carrots, etc.
4. Check for Organic Certification. If the farmer is not certified organic, ask him/her what farming methods are used.  Many small farms cannot afford certification, but still use natural methods.
5. Come Hungry! Most markets offer locally sourced breakfast burritos, cinnamon rolls and coffee.
6. Don't Bring a Shopping List.  Create your recipe plan for the week based on what's fresh and available from the market.

Links to local markets in Kansas City:
Farmer's Community Market at Brookside
Bad Seed
The City Market
KC Organics and Naturals Organic Market
Troost Community Market
Troostwood Youth Garden Market
39th Street Community Market

Bonus: Cute Mystery series based on Farmer's Market's. Enjoy!