It’s Saturday morning and the pantry is empty and the refrigerator is bare. You know what time it is . . . time to shop for groceries. As you drive to your favorite grocery store, you already know the actions you are going take. You will enter the store, grab a buggy, and browse aisles upon aisles of products. After your cart is full and all items are checked off your list, you will head for the front to pay, hoping of course, to find the shortest and fastest checkout.
But, what happens when you change things up? What happens when you decide to shop a different venue . . . like the Union County Farmers Market? Well, in such a case, your traditional understanding of what it means to grocery shop has to change.
According to Dr. Christopher Sneed, Extension Specialist with The University of Tennessee Extension, the way consumers shop for food is based on a set of conditioned responses. “These conditioned responses guide consumers telling them ‘how’ to shop. In addition, the conditioned responses help consumers process information and make decisions during the shopping experience.” When you shop at a different venue such as our farmers’ market, your conditioned responses may no longer work. Thus, you must rethink how you shop.
To help you make these shifts in thinking and to help you make the most of your farmers’ market shopping experience, Sneed offers the following suggestions:
1. For the best selection, arrive early, but not too early. The market opens at 10am. The vendors arrive shortly after 9am but need some time to unpack all that wonderful produce so you know what is available.
2. Bring a bag. Think reduce, reuse, recycle! It is a good plan to bring a bag or basket with you to the market as some vendors may not provide bags for your items.
3. Bring an insulated bag or a cooler with wheels. Using one helps protect your perishable items (cheeses, meats, dairy products) while you shop. In addition, a cooler will help you get these items home safely.
4. Have fun! Farmers’ markets are social, festive events. There may be music, special events, cooking demonstrations and more. Take time to talk with your fellow shoppers and the vendors selling your food. Who knows? You may just learn a new way to prepare your favorite fruit or vegetable.
5. Talk to the vendors. Unlike the grocery store, farmers’ markets allow you the opportunity to talk – in most cases – to the person who grew the food you are purchasing. Use this opportunity to your advantage, and ask away.
6. Be prepared for choices. At the farmers’ market, you may find more than one variety of the fruits or vegetables you are needing. To help, talk with the vendors and the other shoppers. Both can help you make a selection that best meets your food needs.
7. Ask questions. All of our produce, meats and eggs are locally grown or produced but, some of our vendors may sell their own produce and produce from another vendor that couldn’t make it to market that day. Or, maybe you are wondering how it was grown, is it a difficult or easy crop to raise… Asking the vendor is the best way to find out the information you need.