Going to the farmer’s market on Saturday mornings have become a ritual for me. I’m able to pick up the fruits and vegetables I’ll be eating for about two weeks on this one day. I make sure not to go over my $20 max and I end up leaving with some great organic eats and saving serious money too. Farmer’s markets are a great time to try out fruits and vegetables that you’ve never tried or heard of. The farmers themselves are usually happy to share some great ways to prepare their goods.
Cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, avocados, pears, red onions, garlic, rainbow Swiss chard
This week’s spoils were $16.90, a little more than my previous visit but as long as I stay under $20, I’m okay. This week I focused on fruits and vegetables that remain firm even when ripe. Since the semester starts soon, I needed to purchase produce that can handle being in my backpack for a few hours without getting bruised, soft, and soggy. The pears and nectarines will be good for that. This week, instead of buying bok choy I went with cucumbers. They’re more versatile, can be used with a variety of meals or eaten alone, and can be eaten raw. The heirloom tomatoes were rather ripe and soft, but I love the sweet taste of this cultivar so I went with these, instead of your common shady lady variety. The red onions and garlic were a must, they’re a great addition to any meal cooked on a skillet. The rainbow Swiss chard caught my eye and I had to try it! Look at those stems!
During my last visit, I bought 2 cucumbers for $1. These are from a different farmer and they’re a bit more ripe, so I can understand why. I usually slice these up and enjoy it with tuna salad and saltine crackers. $1
Nectarines of various cultivars are abundant this season. I bought nectarines of the yellow/gold variety last time, let’s see how these compare. $3.25
I had no idea how to prepare Swiss chard when I bought them. After a quick Google search I was delighted to learn that they cook as easily as spinach does, but the colorful stems must be cooked longer. I don’t think they taste as colorful as they appear but I thought it was worth a try. $2.50
I remember being 7 and bringing a pear to school. I forgot about it in my backpack for 3 or 4 days. It wasn’t pretty. But I’m looking to make new memories with pears now.$2.40
They were rather ripe when I bought them but I couldn’t resist. Next to cherry tomatoes, heirlooms are the best. $2.50
Last time I only purchased 1 from this farmer, with the intention of trying it out first. Now, I love haas avocados. $3.75
I love to add onions and garlic with scrambled eggs. Delicious. I purchased 3 onions, 1 isn’t pictured. All of this was $1.50
Does anyone know any good Swiss chard recipes? Please share below! What are some of your farmer’s market experiences.
We call Swiss chard “silverbeet” here and I just sauté with a little garlic. Good as a side dish to a regular meat and potatoes meal. Red onions are a great buy. Much more versatile than white as they are quite sweet so can be great in salads.
I will try to saute it tonight with onions and garlic, I’ll let you know how it goes. Thank you!
All the vegetables you chose look delicious! What are you planning to use them for?
I usually go to farmer’s markets twice a month (more when my money is right!) to buy fruits and vegetables to eat. I love organic produce and the feel that farmer’s markets have. I have 1 recipe that I created a few posts back, I have another one in the works (: