How to Use Summer’s Bounty: Farmer’s Market Tips

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It’s August and in the Northern Hemisphere, farmer’s markets are looking incredible. The farmer’s market is my candy store, and I am a child. I run around, want to buy everything, and try to put everything in my mouth first (not kidding). Hence, I often end up purchasing more than I intend to.

One the one hand, these are purchases I feel great about making since I’m putting my money directly into the hands of people who care passionately about our food and work hard to give us access to it (thanks, small farmers!). But on that other hand – what should I do with all of it? How do I handle all these leftovers? What if these scallions just sit for two weeks in my crisper, and I end up throwing them away? How do I not be a ding-dong with summer’s bounty?

I VERY much support people buying as much of their food from a local food system they trust. You can do it! And it doesn’t have to be terribly expensive, wasteful or exhausting. It just requires a bit of thought.

And I’ve been giving this a bit of thought, and have a few tips and theories I’d love to share.

Strategizing Your Farmer’s Market Purchases

• Pause to Make an Assessment. Figure out how much and what format of food you eat during the week. Write down how many people you’re buying food for, and how many meals you expect to be eating at home that week. Don’t plan out a menu, but know what you’re likely to be eating for those meals.
  
  I’ll use myself as an example for how this can be helpful: My household is my partner and myself. In a typical week, we eat breakfast at home every morning (14 meals), and we eat dinner at home 5 times a week (10 meals). We both only have lunch at home about once a week (2 meals.)
  
  Twice a week, we’ll have big breakfasts together, but otherwise it needs to be quick breakfasts. About 4 out of 5 dinners we have together I’ll be okay doing longer cooking projects, but the other one I’ll probably be sleepy and want it to be fast.
  
  We also both have at least 1 snack a day.
  
  SO – having paused to make an assessment, I’m armed with this data I know a few things: 1) most of my purchases need to be foods me and my partner like eating for breakfast, that require little to no prep and 2) I don’t need more than 8 portions of dinnery-vegetables. That really isn’t that much. Eight portions looks like 2 small zucchinis, 5 potatoes, 1 small eggplant and a head of broccoli 3) I need to make sure I have plenty of grab and go snack foods.
• Don’t Go to the Market with Recipes in Mind. HOT TAKE.
  
  And let me make a disclaimer: this isn’t absolute. Sometimes you’re hankering to make gazpacho that week and henceforth are going wild on tomatoes and cucumbers. Or, if you want to go H.A.M. on preserving food and use the market to source your berries for jam or tomatoes for sauce, then this doesn’t apply.
  
  But, if you’re going because you want to feed yourself dinner, I encourage you to go backwards: go to the market, then go home with recipes in mind.
  
  Go to a farmer’s market with a blank mind, and sniff around. Buy what looks fresh and delicious, and makes sense for your time and appetites. If you don’t feel confident, ask a farmer what’s looking good that week, and how much will feed X amount of people. If the plant is very mysterious and you aren’t sure how it is made edible, ask how it should be prepared, then just BUY it.
  
  This is a special time of year. Fresh, ripe food doesn’t need as much preparation, it just needs to be accessed. Be a willing vessel for what the world has to offer you right now, and you’ll be happy, well-fed and healthy.
• Unpack and properly store everything
  This is crucial! Get those things out of produce bags and where they belong. I like to wash off fruit and store it in bowls near the front of the fridge so it can be grabbed quickly.
  
  Some fast tips for the trickier ones:
  
  
  • Tomatoes go on the counter. Under-ripe fruit should also go on the counter,but ripe fruit goes in the fridge, or, preferably, right in your mouth.
  • Carrots and radishes will stay crispier unpeeled and in water (wash them and keep the peel on because #fiber).
  • Most herbs like being stored in a chill, lightly humid environment, like a tupperware container with a moist paper towel in the bottom – but basil will stay greener for longer if stored at room temp.
  • Onions, garlic and potatoes can all be room temp, but new potatoes can last longer if stored in a fridge (take them out of the plastic bag to discourage rot.)
  • Be careful what you put in your crisper drawer. Salad greens can benefit from being in there, but for the most part, crispers are wildly ineffective. They mostly function as a “forget about it drawer.”
    And I’ll tell ya, the best way to enjoy your summer’s produce is don’t forget about it.
    

And a Few Ideas on How to Use Your Stuff

1. Make stuffed zucchini.
   
   I’m a huge dork for stuffed zucchini this year, and I would like everyone else to be huge dorks about it as well. It’s perfect for using up weird amounts of rice or leftover grains, it’s a great portion for a light summer dinner, and it has endless modifications. Oh! And zucchini is so affordable and delicious! All you really needs to know to make it is:
   -Buy small or medium zucchini.
   -Cut it in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the insides, and fry them up with whatever else you’re putting in it.
   -Season your little zucchini boat, stuff it, maybe top it with breadcrumbs or don’t, and bake them at 375F until the zucchini is tender (about 25 minutes).
2. Make sauces. Almost any of your withering produce can be made into a sauce. Don’t let any mushy fruit become waste – let it become a compote! Basil makes a great pesto, but also, nearly any herb makes a great pesto, as well as scallions and carrot tops! Roasted cauliflower makes a great hummus (seriously.) When in doubt, cook it, season it, blend it, and use it as a sauce or a dip.
3. Make pickles. There are lots of wonderful ways to make pickles, but a quick pickle is so convenient, and should be a work-horse recipe in anyone’s kitchen. Nail down your favorite quick pickle recipe, and pickle anything you’re not eating fast enough.
   
   Here’s my go-to pickle ratio, if you don’t have one: 1 part vinegar, 1.5 part water, .5 part sugar, and salt to taste. Just bring that mixture to a boil, pour it over whatever you’d like to pickle, weigh it down so all your produce is submerged, and let it cool. That’s it.
   P.S. I like a sweet pickle, so if you don’t, take some of that sugar out. I still recommend using some sugar in any pickling liquid.

This is a BIG topic, and I barely cracked the iceberg lettuce on it. There’s lots of ways to maximize food usage and minimize food waste. Let’s keep talking about it, in general, and in particular! I’d love to hear what your go-to food strategies are, how you budget yourself, and what kind of stuff you’re cooking with local produce. Also, check out this hashtag: #maketastenotwaste