12 Items to Buy at the Farmer’s Market

As exciting as it may be to see stand after stand heaped with colorful fresh, local food during the spring and summer seasons, it can also be overwhelming. And it’s nearly impossible to eat all the seasonal produce you encounter, unless you’ve got a ton of company coming over, like everyday. To buy the premium, in season and popular fresh produce and more, you need to know what to buy at the farmer’s market this season. You must have a strategy and pick out the things that really count. Otherwise it can add up ($$$) and you end up with wasted food a week later in your fridge.

So, here’s my take on the exclusive, seasonal, gotta-have-them items you absolutely should buy at the local farmer’s market when you see them. These 12 items are the ones to buy at the farmer’s market this summer.

For local  Vancouverites, check out the Eat Local site to find the nearest one to you! You might also want to cross off these 8 Things to Do While It’s Still Spring, which includes visiting a local farmer’s market.

And my American friends, this site is helpful to find one in your city.

What to Buy at the Farmer’s Market This Season

1. Rhubarb

It’s in season right now and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Rhubarb isn’t something you’re likely to find for months on end in the supermarket. It’s best paired with strawberries and tucked into pies, cobblers, crisps, and galettes; and works well in savory applications, such as chutneys and sauces. Rhubarb jam is a winner, too. I also like to make compote and ice creams with it.

2. Ramps

One of the first signs of life in spring, these wild leeks are often foraged by farmers, coveted by chefs, and have a short growing season. Grill them and use as a burger topping, wilt them over gentle heat with garlic and olive oil, or chop and toss them into an omelet. Many farmers find them abundant on their property or forage them; buy yours from someone who knows how to forage for them respectfully.

3. Nettles

Yes, they’re called stinging nettles for good reason — they’ll bring on a rash if you’re not careful. But if you soak them and cook them (or dry them), you remove the stinging-like chemicals and reveal a green leafy veg that tastes like spinach and contains Vitamins A and C, plus iron and potassium, and is thought to contain anti-inflammatory properties. Or bring two cups of water to boil and add fresh leaves for a therapeutic tea. This perennial grows wild, so buy it from a vendor whose foraging skills you trust.

4. Local honey

In the summer, local honey is great for sweetening homemade iced tea or whisking into salad dressings. Local honey can be completely unique, too — each batch a slightly different taste of your surrounding fields, flowers, and trees. If your local apiary at your farmers market sells bee pollen, consider yourself lucky; that’s also a delicious delicacy. Another tip, eating local honey can also help with your seasonal allergies. So snatch up a jar!

5. Scapes

With long necks and curly ends, scapes are the “flower stalks” of hardneck garlic plants, although they don’t flower, per se. Farmers cut the tops off so the nutrients go back down into the developing bulbs; what used to end up in the compost pile now more often ends up at farmers market tables. Swap them for scallions or for garlic; they have a milder taste. Scapes make an assertive pesto, too.

6. Concord grapes

Supermarket grapes have nothing on local grapes. In my market experience, they’re typically smaller, more intensely flavored, and don’t last long enough to end up in any kind of recipe. Most of the time they have seeds, too — so be prepared to deal with that. It’s worth it. I snack on these until they are gone, they are really addicting! And you can make jam out of them that is delicious on scones, toast and gelato. Yes that’s right gelato lol.

7. Ginger

Fresh ginger, which is lovely to look at, with its yellowy-pink hue (it develops that papery skin as it ages) is such a treat. I tend to buy a bunch and then freeze it, that way you always have some on hand.

8. Mouse melons

These look like miniature watermelons but are actually from the cucumber family. Use these sour gems in salads and salsas or pickle them, or eat them raw, tossed in some white wine vinegar with salt and pepper. They’re also referred to as cucamelons and Mexican gherkins.

9. Mushrooms

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to take a chance on foraging in the woods for mushrooms. My nonna used to go out and mushroom forage, but you need to know what you are picking. You can easily pick a poisonous mushroom that can either kill you or make you hallucinate. I love seeing the oyster mushrooms, lion’s manes, morels, or shiitakes in gorgeous, showy clusters, bunched together like bouquets. All I can think about is a mushroom ragu or mushrooms on toast. These are so great for your digestion and many more ailments!

10. Pawpaws

Creamy like a mango but aromatic like a banana, the pawpaw is a tropical fruit that puzzlingly grows in North America’s temperate climates. Pawpaws are oddly shaped, highly perishable gems with seeds you need to dig out carefully — but attempts are rewarded with a distinctly flavored fruit.

Pawpaws show up at markets (and can also be foraged) in September and October across wide swaths of the United States.

11. Tomatoes

Buying supermarket tomatoes in the summer is criminal. Most farmers grow a wide variety, and heirlooms — with their funky shapes, profiles, and varying tastes, from acidic to sweet — are an abundant guarantee of late summer’s harvest. You simply cannot have enough tomatoes during the season. You eat them raw and roasted, make jams, sauce, and freeze some too.

12. Quince

Buy a handful of quince and place them in a bowl on your counter in fall and let its sweet aroma fill your kitchen. They’re like an aromatic cross between a pear and an apple. Quinces even look like hard, misshapen green apples, but they won’t soften and you definitely you don’t want to bite into them. Quinces need to be poached and/or baked in order to make them palatable — and coax their sweet, subtle, spicy flavor. Poach them with the gamut of fall spices in your arsenal; I especially like cloves and star anise. You can also make jam and serve it up on a charcuterie board, it pairs so nicely with certain cheese and meats.

What seasonal items do you scoop up at the farmers market as soon as you see them?