Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Be green, to save green: At your local farmers market

Farmers' market in Stroud. GloucestershireImage via Wikipedia

Want a new and less expensive way to shop for produce? Then stop by your local farmer’s market. Farmer Markets are not only a green way to shop for produce but it also is a great way to support local farmers.
Most farmer markets are year around and you can find the best deals at peak months between late May and early October.  Because all of the produce is locally grown, prices are more competitive and some item prices can be negotiated, especially if you make yourself a regular customer and get to know you salesman.
Another tip when looking to save money at farmer markets is to go at the end of the day.  Hauling all of the days produce back to storage can be a pain for sellers, not to mention produce expires quickly. By shopping an roughly a half hour before the shops close is when you can find great deals the “early bird” shoppers may have missed out on.
 Lastly, buy produce of the season. Now that fall it is a great time to stock up on apples, pumpkins and sweet potatoes. If you tend favor strawberries or watermelon you may be out of luck. When your favorite produce is not season it means vendors are going to need to import your produce from other states or countries.
Ready to check out some of your local farmers markets, here is a list of local farmers in Northwest Ohio.
Downtown Bowling Green Farmer Maket
            Open: May – October, Wednesdays 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
121 East Wooster St.
Bowling Green, OH 43402

                   Westgate Farmers Market                 
                         Open: Weekdays 8am-5pm; Sat 7am-4pm; Sun 10am-4pm.
                  525 Market St.
 Toledo, OH 43604
Perrysburg Farmers Market
                               Open: May –October, Thursdays 3-8 p.m.
Louisiana Avenue at Front Street
Perrysburg, OH 43551

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2 comments:

  1. Now I really want to go to the BG farmers market! Why didn't I read this last night? I'll have to go next Wednesday, you should join me author of this article!

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