For cold weather places, the 2019 farmers market season is unfolding. The farmers will be ready with wonderful produce with hopefully not too much damage from a polar vortex or two over the winter.
People who go to farmers markets are usually ready with canvas bags to hold all the great food they find at farmers markets. You should take one more crucial step when going to a farmers market: bring containers to hold the fruits and vegetables.
We've heard a lot about the use of plastic and the damage to the environment. Excessive packaging that isn't biodegradable can fill up overflowing landfills.
Leaving avocados and oranges whole encourages learning about produce
If you are going to buy a pint of strawberries this spring, they usually come in a pint-size carton. The farmers market worker takes the pint-size carton and wraps that up in a plastic bag. You then place the plastic bag in your canvas bag. The strawberries are already struggling to stay in the carton within the plastic bag so you are doing no favor for the strawberries.
You get home and you pull out the strained containment system, hoping the strawberries are still in good shape. You then put the strawberries into a container and put them in the crisper or elsewhere in the refrigerator. You then throw away the carton and the plastic bag.
BalanceofFood.com farmers market coverage
Let's try this in a simpler way:
You go to buy a pint of strawberries in a pint-size carton. You present your container and ask them to put the strawberries in that container. The farmers market worker takes the pint-size carton and pours the strawberries into your container. The worker gets to keep the carton and plastic bag. You have a better container to keep the strawberries in passage.
You get home and put the strawberries already in the container and put them in the crisper or elsewhere in the refrigerator. You have nothing to throw away.
A few helpful pointers:
- Fruit usually comes in pints and quarts. A pint is 16 oz. and a quart is 32 oz. Know how much you can put into a container before you bring the container to the market. You may have lost the information on your container. If you don't know how much the container holds, fill the container and weigh accordingly.
- Most vegetables can go straight into a canvas bag without needing plastic. Vegetables can touch each other. If you are concerned about dirt or moisture, you can bring several bags to not push mushrooms next to wet lettuce. Mushrooms do best in brown paper bags.
- Buy some containers if you don't have containers. You will save money if you have control over the health and viability of your produce. The better you store them, the longer and better they will last. You might be tempted to buy huge containers but getting containers in many sizes gives you flexibility for shopping and refrigerator space.
Buying containers can seem like a sacrifice for people who are freaked out by the costs at a farmers market. The containers will help whether you buy produce at the grocery store or a farmers market. The difference is that grocery stores generally don't let you employ this practice while farmers market vendors will love you for doing this.
Farmers markets can add to a community's bottom line
Good nutrition requires spending a bit more money on yourself. Throwing out less food waste will save you money, time, and headaches.
Your better health is worth an investment. Your environment is worth an investment. You can use those containers for other food items in the winter.
Chances you have grown used to carrying around canvas bags. Adding containers to the list won't seem so extreme.
photo credit: me
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