Last week, we got 20 pounds of grapes and plums at the Mar Vista Farmers’ Market for just $10. The week before, we lugged away 12 pints of ORGANIC strawberries from Culver City Farmers’ Market for just $15! (Note, I took my husband along to act as my sherpa.)
So what did we DO with this cornucopic windfall once we got home? The FREEZER! Frozen grapes taste like little bites of sorbet, and they thaw well in lunchboxes. Frozen strawberries make great fancy ice cubes, liven up any smoothie, and defrost easily for a breakfast treat.
Some people seek spiritual satisfaction at church or at AA meetings. We go to Farmers’ Markets!
So here are my tips for saving money when you go:
-Get to know your markets. Some markets charge their vendors more than others. Years ago, I noticed that the kettle corn vendor charged more when he was in Westwood than Culver City. Chatting with him, he told me that the vendor fee was higher at Westwood, so he had to pass along the difference to shoppers (me!). Which brings me to my next point…
-Be friendly to the farmers. If you go as often as I do and see the same faces every week, you might as well be chummy with them. ”How have you been?” ”These tomatoes look great!” ”What’s in season right now?”
-If you’re looking for something specific, take a walk around the whole market one time and compare prices before buying at any one stand. Prices and quality vary greatly, so don’t snag the first ripe avocado you see!
-To save money, avoid the pre-made food and focus on the farm goods. That French guy does have delicious crepes and the tamales are so yummy, but your wallet will thank you if you just keep walking.
-Go at the end of the day. In the last hour, you will notice that the farmers slash prices to avoid hauling the fruits & veggies home or (worse yet) having them rot before the next sales day. Many times, the vendors will actually call you over and hand you a whole flat for next to nothing.
-To everything,turn, turn, turn, there is a season... Tomatoes in August, strawberries in June, squash in Autumn. Find out what is in season that day (again, ask) and buy lots of it. The book “How to Pick a Peach” by Russ Parsons, one of the food editors at the LA Times, delineates the seasons of local fruit. Because we can get pretty much anything at any time at the supermarket, it’s easy to forget that every fruit has a season when it is at its freshest and most flavorful.
-Ask for a deal. When you forged relationships week after week with vendors, it’s easy to hand over your money close to closing time and say “I’ve got $10 left. Those tomatoes were SO good last week. Do you have any really ripe ones ? And what else is hot this week?” Thank them for the deal and gush about the deliciousness of their produce (so other customers can hear). I can pretty much guarantee that they will load you down with more than ten dollars worth. And it they will be delicious!
When she’s not cooking, writing about food, or shopping for it, Brigitta Schumacher-Bradley is a working mom stealing moments to chronicle the antics of her two children and the family’s life on the Westside. Her personal blog is Brighter Schemata.
