10 Farmers' Market tips from sellers
FROM SELLER'S PERSPECTIVE
1. DO NOT squeeze the produce
Touching fruit is normal because the firmness will reveal how ripe the fruit is. However, watch a vendor first. They barely touch the fruit to see how firm or ripe it is. Customers will come up, grab fruit and squeeze it hard. What the customer doesn't realize is that the vendor has to toss it out now. Vendors, most of the time, cannot and will not sell bruised fruit. If you are nervous, ask the vendor to help you pick your fruit out.
2.Give tips
Vendors are providing services like waiters. They bring you the food, help you pick it, interact with you and guide you through the selling process. However, many vendors don't have tip jars and will not ask for tips.
3. If you ask, "Are you organic?" or any alteration, listen to what the vendor has to say.
People will ask, hear "no" and immediately leave or stop listening. A vendor may not be certified organic, but grow organically. Some might spray in the winter when there is no produce on the trees. There are tons of answers vendors have for that question.
4. A certified farmers' market means everyone grows what they sell.
This is a helpful tip for any customers who want to know if people grow what they sell. Not all markets are certified, it depends. There are signs up sometimes, or you can ask the market manager. The vendors have to do official paperwork to prove they are selling only what they are growing, so you can trust the certification.
5. Be patient
Most of the time there aren't clear lines in front of stands. Be patient and speak up to the vendor if you are ready to check out. It can be chaotic some times.
6. Vendors like talking about their products, ask them questions.
Vendors spend a ton of time creating the products they are selling and like to share knowledge about the process with other people.
7. Do not bring dogs to not dog friendly markets.
Some times dogs – or other animals – aren't allowed to be within a certain distance to the produce. Also, if it is burning hot and the market is on asphalt, DO NOT bring your dog. Your pup is going to be miserable.
8. Watch your step!
Market stands are being built up and torn down within a very short period of time. There are lots of little things here and there that can cause a fall. Be careful walking up close to stands.
9. Bruised fruit is not bad fruit
Bruised fruit are delicious. Real produce is not perfect produce. Real produce has scratches, dirt, bumps, bruises and splits.
10. To be an educated buyer, you have to ask and learn.
Sometimes, people do not know how to pick out what they want because they have never asked how. Vendors do not mind helping, but teaching someone how to pick what they want is much more rewarding. It goes with the saying, "Catch a woman a fish and she eats for a day. Teach a woman to fish and she eats forever."
