Our Survival Guide To Farmers’ Market Shopping

Weeding your way through green washing and local washing

In this world of mass produced food, green washing and local washing, shopping for our dinner can get a bit confusing. Well we have a solution: just head on over to your local farmers’ market! But before you start filling up your eco-friendly produce bags, beware – not all farmers’ market finds are local, organic or green-friendly! To help you make the healthiest, most eco-friendly choices, here’s our farmers’ market survival guide.

Know your food, know your farmer

Farmers’ markets are a great place to pick up excellent herbs, fruits, vegetables and other artisan goods. There’s only one problem. Just because you’re at a farmers’ market does not necessarily mean that the food is all local, pesticide-free, organic or grown using sustainable practices. To find which items do meet these standards, you’re going to have to dig a little. This means asking questions and, if green standards are important to you, the inquiries are well worth it and you’ll get to know your local farmers in the process.

Farmers are givers – givers with lots of information

You’ll find that most farmers’ market produce isn’t labeled according to FDA standards. And if it is, then that is a dead giveaway the seller likely had nothing to do with raising it! So you will have to start talking and asking the questions on just how the food was grown or in some cases raised. No, it is not considered rude to ask and, trust me, most farmers actually expect and enjoy sharing their information. Farmers are a proud lot and they work hard to produce our food source.

So, what should you ask?

There are a whole lot of questions you can ask. We suggest some of these:

• Did you grow the food?
• Where is your farm located? Check those food miles – most farmers’ market standards are 50 to 100 miles from where you live.
• How was the food grown?
• And, if it matters to you, is it organic and sustainably farmed?

If a farmer indicates that he bought his goods from a distributor or the farmer does not have answer on the above questions then we suggest closing that pocket book and moving on. If he bought from another farmer, inquire about that farmer’s business and growing practices. Look for answers like, “I bought it from a farm that I know well and that I visit.” If you like the answers, you found a match!

The hard sell

Just because you have a conversation about the product does not mean you are obligated to purchase. Each time you buy local, in-season, sustainable and organic, remember that you are voting with your dollars. The more votes in this direction can help create demand for what we want and, yes, we can create changes in the way our food source is grown.

Our extensive list of local Farmers’ Markets

Totally Local VC has compiled an extensive list of Ventura County farmers’ markets for you. It’s a great place to get you started. Have fun! Oh, and by the way, you can also download the list. See the link after the list below.

Camarillo/Pleasant Valley

Camarillo Hospice

Moorpark

Channel Islands Harbor

Newbury Park

Oak Park

Ojai

Downtown Oxnard

Simi Valley

Thousand Oaks

Downtown Ventura

East Ventura

Midtown Ventura