Do you prefer fruits/veggies from a Farmer's Market, or can you get same freshness & quality from your store?!
Answers: Unless you ask, and trust their honesty, how else do you know if food from a Farmer's Market is organic?
Veggies sold at farmers markets that are grown by the sellers are always fresher than anything you can buy at the grocery and thus far more nutritious and flavorful. Add to that that you buy unusual varieties that will not put up with shipping and you have food quality the industrial food system cannot touch.
You can always ask to see the organic certification papers is the farmer is using the term "organic" referring to their produce. Anyone using the term organic must be certified by a USDA bonafide certified and must have their papers available for inspection anywhere they sell their produce. The farmers markets where I sell produce there are several certified organic growers.
You also can talk to the grower face to face, something you cannot do at any grocery store. For kicks ask the produce person at Wal-Mart anything about the organic veggies-you will get a blank face from most as they have no idea what they are selling. You will not get that from any farmer that grew the food they are selling. And the not certified organic growers will be happy to answer any and all questions you may have about their farm and growing practises. I have, for years, told my customers to come out and see the farm for them selves. Far too few have taken me up on the offer.
By learning about organic methods and developing a series of questions to ask growers at the farmers market you will become far more engaged with the food you eat.
Another question to ask at some farmers markets is "Did you grow that?" Some markets do allow reselling and these guys generally get their produce from the same source as the groceries in your area and try to pawn that off as stuff they grew or at least local.
It depends on where I am shopping, I prefer not to drive around to 3 or 4 locations so I might just get my produce at the Asian food market I go to (I am in the Chicago area so there's a lot of Asian food markets here). I might get my produce at a health food store if that's where I'm shopping (Trader Joe's). If I am going to a farmer's market I'll get things there. I like organic produce and tend to go for organic if I can afford it. I tend to trust farmer's markets, and if anything at least I know that the produce is local and it hasn't been shipped from half a world away... it's good to support local farming communities and co-ops.
I support my local farmer...Have you ever tried a tomato from the store versus a fresh tomato...They are different.
Many of our produce is injected with preservatives to last longer in the shelf. Specially tomatoes.
even better would be to go to the farmers home while they are at market and pick some...Just kidding. The less middle men the better. Some stores buy local which can be better with freshness. Ask the produce guy what he or she put out today and eat that.
Oh my god... you got me to thinking about watermellons and it's not even the season yet. Haven't you ever busted open a watermellon you got from a road side stand or a good ole boy selling them out of the back of his truck? On a hot summer day, I wouldn't trade all the watermellons in the store for just one fresh from the garden picked one from a farmer. Damn the cold season!
I prefer farmer's markets, but I get most of my stuff at the grocery store out of convenience.
Luckily I now have a house with a fantastic vege garden, farmers markets tend to be the next best for freshness and on down the chain until you get to the supermarkets
we have some great farmers markets here in seattle but it's handier to go to the nearest grocery store. we've got a great grocery store near by with wonderful produce.
I prefer fruits and vegetables from a Farmer's Market. Their products haven't been processed and coated to look pretty and "perfect". The apples, for example, are almost always sweeter and the flesh is more crisp. Best of all... no "shiny coating", i.e. wax or whatever they use now. Why would I want to eat that crap?
A lot of your grocery produce is last season's produce. At a farmer's market, it's more like last week maybe. They don't have the space to store all of their produce like the big-wigs do, so it goes from the field/orchard straight to you much quicker.
Farmer's market all the way- all the farmers I've met and talked to would let me visit if I wanted. I get a better feeling from some than others.
i get them anywhere
they are healthy no mater what
b) You have to believe them or ask and then check it out.
a) Our market, 5 minutes by foot has the best produce the freshest produce and the farms are within 30 miles.
At good prices.
Quality and organic from my market!
though we buy most of out produce directly from trusted suppliers, we do occasionaly buy fruit from a "regular" store. However, with today's custoemrs becoming kmore sophisticated and more demanding, , a lot of stores now do carrry organic or "fresher" produce including fruits and vegetables. All thins considered, I still find buying direct from the farmer/producer a better deal than a supermarket even a specialty one.
Caveat - Just because something says "organic" it doesn't necessarily mean better quality produce. It just means no chemicals used.