who shops at farmers markets??? rant and question

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annastasia76
annastasia76 Posts: 123 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I finally found a farmers market in my area, it's new so it's fairly small, about 16 vendors. the only problem is that they were twice the price that it would cost to buy it in the store. I know that most people will say that the fruits and veggies are better for you because they are supposedly locally grown. but the big vendor there I know the owner, he's an old family friend, they used to grow all their own veggies, now they buy it from mostly the same places as the stores do (they will sometimes buy from local farmers if they can). They don't advertise that it's not local but most people assume that it is, so I go into it assuming that it's not local if they don't have anything hanging stating that it is local.

so if you buy from a farmers market do you assume that it's locally grown and how much do you expect to pay for it. I would expect that if it's not local then it should be similar in cost as the stores, heck even the locally grown stuff shouldn't be twice the price as the store. How much do you expect to pay if it's organic.

There is another farmers market that's an hour drive from me but larger so I will try there next.

Replies

  • KariandCo
    KariandCo Posts: 29
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    The only farmer's market I have regular experience with is Seattle's Pike Market, which is kind of a tourist trap so I guess I never thought twice about the prices. But I know that most markets generally charge more - it's the idea that you're eating organically and supporting local farmers that's supposed to make up for it.

    I stopped at an established farmer's market off of I-90 in mid-Washington - seriously, MIDDLE of farm country. When inspecting the $3+/lb fruit I noticed that it had stickers on it "fresh from California!"... ummm, I'll head to Safeway (at $.99/lb) for that, thanks.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,116 Member
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    I expect to pay about one and a half times as much for organically grown. I think it's worth it, and we will change the way everyone eats if we vote with our pocketbooks.

    But if they are charging more for the Mexican and Californian non-organic produce just because it's a Farmer's Market, I'd shop elsewhere.
  • sarahricks
    sarahricks Posts: 90 Member
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    I use bountifulbaskets.com They only do arizona,utah, idaho, and washington. It's still the stuff you wold get at the store but cheaper, and freasher.
  • ractayjon
    ractayjon Posts: 365
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    Its more. It has to be simple economics (simple - ha! ) If a big store (say Walmart) is buying from X farm (here or out of the country) they get a discount for buying so much (buying in bulk) -- if a local grocer (say Mr Smiths grocery store on the corner) buys from the same X farm but for only his store or his 5 stores he gets charged more - hence when we buy at Walmart we pay less buy at Mr Smiths we pay more.

    I dont agree with the situation u described...a farmers market should not allow vendors that dont grow their own- unless it is stated at their booth where they get their stuff - but thats my opinion. I would ask all the sellers where they are from and only routinely buy from the real locals...heck, thats why you go to a local farmer market right?

    As for organic...unfortunately it costs more to grow organic. To maintain the soil, rotate the crops, monitor infestations, and treat the crops naturally - the cost is higher then mass producing with chemicals, items are grown in the same soil year after year, no crop rotation is necessary (well minimal) and they usually specialize in one item...so its cheaper. To grow orgainc you have to have more then 1 item in order to not cross contaminate etc etc....
    And since its more expensive there are less of these operations and so the cost goes up even more.
    That is why Whole Foods is more expensive then WalMart and why local organic farms (real ones) are more expensive then whole foods.
    I live in the Northeast and so our growing season is very short. I did a community supported agriculture buy this past season. We paid $500 to a local organic farmer in late winter and then he used our money (plus about 100 others) to support his farm. He grew a plethera of vegetables, sold some to local markets and stores and each week I picked up a freshorganic vegetable delivery. It lasted about 18 weeks and gave me enough vegetables to feed a family of 4 6 nights a week, it was a great find and I plan on doing it again this season.
  • shariguymon
    shariguymon Posts: 245 Member
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    I sell fresh produce from my garden at the local farmers market in the summer, and I usually charge about the same or a little less than the store. We are very small and only have about 10 vendors. Everything is organic, but it is not certified, as that would increase my costs too much. Our market does not have large volumes, but we are a small community. I do sell berries for a bit more than the stores, simply because it is so much work to pick them!

    We are not allowed to sell anything that wasn't produced by ourselves or a family member at our market. If we did, we would be banned from selling!
    I take that back, there were a couple of people who picked peaches from a neighboring community farm that were allowed to sell them, but customers knew their origin.
  • polyesterchesters
    polyesterchesters Posts: 81 Member
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    maybe it is becasue I live in Pennsylvania, but I find the farmers markets to be very comparable to the store when buying locally grown. The corn in the market is always cheaper than the grocery. Unfortunatly, it is very seasonable buying. So, when it is warm and the crops are coming in..... i do go to the market!
  • gurlondrums
    gurlondrums Posts: 187
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    maybe it is becasue I live in Pennsylvania, but I find the farmers markets to be very comparable to the store when buying locally grown. The corn in the market is always cheaper than the grocery. Unfortunatly, it is very seasonable buying. So, when it is warm and the crops are coming in..... i do go to the market!

    Me too. I go to the farmer's market in Scranton, PA, and I can get so much more for my money there than at the stores. It might be certain areas are higher. We have alot of farms in PA though, so that might be why.
  • Jennwith2ns
    Jennwith2ns Posts: 296 Member
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    Actually from what I have seen at ours, produce is a little less than grocery stores, but a little bit more than Trader Joe's. I try to go every Saturday morning for my weeks fruits & veggies, but sometimes go to Trader Joe's instead. I refuse to buy produce from Vons anymore, it is SUCH a rip off!
  • CAworkout
    CAworkout Posts: 27 Member
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    I shop at a local farmers market on a regular basis year round, and it's not just produce. They have meat, bread, seafood, eggs, cheese, flowers, coffee, etc. It may just be where I live- central coast of CA where most of the US produce is grown and shipped from, but it actually is a lot cheaper, and better quality than the local grocery stores. I actually recognize the name of the farms where the food is grown b/c I drive past their fields and they have signs with the farm name and what crop is growing. And it's all organic. When I go back to my hometown in MI it's a dismal site, with a LOT of corn. I think location has a huge impact on your farmers market experience as the local climate dictates availability.
  • stahlight
    stahlight Posts: 119
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    farmers market = fresh local produce at a decent price... compared to pubix.. err publix produce, its a world apart, with similar and better prices. Also there are usually home made goods that are excellent. Just watch out for that old guy in a cadill....aaaaaaaarrghhh!
  • zeala
    zeala Posts: 119 Member
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    That sounds like such a disappointment. We have a farmer's market store near us and love it,because all the produce is so much cheaper than in a super market.
    If you don't know where the other food is coming from, you might aswell just buy it at a super market.
  • tattoodfreek
    tattoodfreek Posts: 520 Member
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    The produce here (in PA also) is much less expensive at the farmer's markets. I live in Lancaster county, which is a major farming area. If you try going at the end of the day, you can get great deals as most vendors want to unload what they have left. Maybe you will have better luck then?
  • annastasia76
    annastasia76 Posts: 123 Member
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    thanks all, I will definetly try the other one next weekend, I'm hoping that maybe it's so expensive right now because we are between summer growing seasons. but I am in southern CA so we tend to have a longer growing time, actually I'm planning on planting in about 2 weeks here. but my carrots, lettuce, onions and herbs won't grow here. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

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