After years of shopping at farmer's markets, I am finally getting closer to the point where I make a plan, don't overshop, and don't let too many things go to waste (I said getting closer, not there). Sometimes even I am still taken surprise by how quickly things fall apart and wilt and become unuseable, and I still learn things every week.
But while I was cleaning my fridge today and putting away this week's market haul, I started thinking of a few tips that I could share with you, in the hopes that you don't get frustrated and quit.
There are some things you should learn and think about before you ever head to the markets: Have a few recipes under your belt, know what things go together, and know what's in season. You can do a few of these things before going to the markets, and some things you will just learn as you begin doing more and more of your shopping seasonally and locally. I will get into this more a bit later.
- Know what is in season. I've made a few posts on this topic to help you out, but you can also find some great information on websites such as Pick Your Own. One of the nice things about having this website is that I can search an item and see when I've purchased it in the past (and so can you! I've done lots of the work for you!). One very nice thing about living in Central Ohio is that we live in the middle of a very wide range of growing seasons. When you see asparagus very early, you know we will have it for about 6 weeks, because it will ripen in points south of Columbus before points North. We truly do live in a great climate for eating great locallly through the year, and you are fortunate to know all about it!
- Knowing what is in season will help you with your next trick: having a plan. Even a vague plan will help you know your shopping strategy. For example, I love peppers stuffed with lamb. So, when pepper season starts, I always remember to hit Northridge Organics for some ground lamb. I also know that we like to eat curried couscous with this entree, so I'll remember the cauliflower. Feta would also be a good addition to this dish, so I would also stop by Blue Jacket Creamery. If I were at the North Market, I might instead pick up some Laker Erie Creamery fresh goat cheese, which would also be nice. After a heavy meal like this, fruit would be a great dessert, so I might opt for some chilled melon, and would remember (if I'm lucky) to pick some up at the market.
- Keep your ideas written down if you have a hard time remembering them. I'm not being patronizing here. I have the worst memory ever and have pages and pages of ideas, because if I write them down, I can work out the recipes in my head and be more likely to remember them. This is especially important if you read a lot about food year round and are still commited to eating seasonally. I love to read about summer foods in the dreary depths of winter, and have to make notes when I read things like "a favored Cypriot dessert pairs halloumi with watermelon." Are you kidding me? That's the best idea ever!! If I would't have written it down, I would never have remembered that. (Turns out it really is amazing.)
- Be smart with your pantry. We eat a lot of rice, beans, and pasta in our house (don't start in on me about carbs) in addition to the fresh food we eat. For this reason, I always have a pretty decent of supply of our favorite pasta shapes (long and skinny for me, short and tubular for Husband) and beans (cannolini) in the house, in addition to my favorite polished Japanese rice from California. I also have a decent amount of stock in the freezer, and try to keep lots of onions and garlic on hand. Having vinegar and citrus juices, hot sauces, a few Asian sauces (soy, hoison, miso), and maybe even a canned tomato sauce (the sauces from Carfagna's are really tasty) mean you are only a few main ingredients away from having dinner on the table. Hard cheeses last a long time, too, so keep some hard grating cheeses on hand for seasoning (parmesan, etc).
- Know how long things will last, and don't overshop! This is still a struggle for me. Last week I thought I was being smart when I paid extra for pre-shelled sweet peas, but when I was preparing to cook them the next day, they had turned to an acrid, watery mush. I would have been better off putting them in the freezer immediately or buying peas in the shells. Berries have a shelf life of about 36 hours, so don't buy them until you are ready to use them. If you can't use them immediately, spread them out on a sheet try so they aren't touching each other, which will accelerate rot. Eggs last forever. Believe me - if you are in doubt, crack one open. If it's rotten, you will certainly know. Therefore, when in doubt, you can throw everything in a frittata or omelet.
