More Money Saving Tips...Shopping green and close to home
More of Mom’s Frugal Money Tips
How to maximize your dollars at the local farmers market
1. Before you buy anything walk the market. Look at what people are offering for sale and choose the vendors that have a few things that you want to buy.
2. Get to know the vendors at the market. Know them by name and they should know yours. Become a regular customer so that they will give you the best merchandise and let you know what they will have ready for market in the next few weeks. That relationship should will build over the years to come.
3. Find out when they close and when they plan to reduce their prices. You may want to tell them that you will come at that time but if they are selling an item is a must buy that week to put it on the side for you. You will buy those items at full price but then you will help them with what they did not sell at a lower price. They do not want to take produce back and are will in to help you if you help them.
4. If you can, buy in bulk. Those prices should be lower since they require less handling.
5. Have a plan for how you will use your purchases:
Fruits can be cooked to create fruit sauces, pie filling or compote.
Fruits can be pureed and made into ice cream and frozen fruit pops.
Freeze fruits to be used in smoothies or protein shakes and
use instead of ice cubes.
Fruits can be canned into jellies and jams.
Vegetables can be pared boiled to be flash frozen i.e. your own
Birdseye vegetables.
Some can be put right in the freezer with out boiling check your cookbooks
to find out which.
Some vegetables can be stored in your fridge for a few weeks since they
should be very fresh.
Some maybe cooked and reheated later in the week.
Tomatoes can be cooked into sauce, pickled green, or be made into salsas
Healthy eating, fresh foods and locally grown, who knew my mother was so smart all those years ago.
I think the key here is to figure out what your family is doing with the vegetables and fruits that you are buying a your neighborhood market. Those recipes and stories should be added to your family cookbook. Some people maybe growing all their vegetables in their own home garden for the first time or the 100th time. There is the story. Do you have to give most away? Do you have a canning party? All these things are elements of great stories that should be part of your cookbook so that you can share so the your family members will not have to create the wheel again and learn for your mistakes. Great stories for creating your own family recipe cookbook.
How to maximize your dollars at the local farmers market
1. Before you buy anything walk the market. Look at what people are offering for sale and choose the vendors that have a few things that you want to buy.
2. Get to know the vendors at the market. Know them by name and they should know yours. Become a regular customer so that they will give you the best merchandise and let you know what they will have ready for market in the next few weeks. That relationship should will build over the years to come.
3. Find out when they close and when they plan to reduce their prices. You may want to tell them that you will come at that time but if they are selling an item is a must buy that week to put it on the side for you. You will buy those items at full price but then you will help them with what they did not sell at a lower price. They do not want to take produce back and are will in to help you if you help them.
4. If you can, buy in bulk. Those prices should be lower since they require less handling.
5. Have a plan for how you will use your purchases:
Fruits can be cooked to create fruit sauces, pie filling or compote.
Fruits can be pureed and made into ice cream and frozen fruit pops.
Freeze fruits to be used in smoothies or protein shakes and
use instead of ice cubes.
Fruits can be canned into jellies and jams.
Vegetables can be pared boiled to be flash frozen i.e. your own
Birdseye vegetables.
Some can be put right in the freezer with out boiling check your cookbooks
to find out which.
Some vegetables can be stored in your fridge for a few weeks since they
should be very fresh.
Some maybe cooked and reheated later in the week.
Tomatoes can be cooked into sauce, pickled green, or be made into salsas
Healthy eating, fresh foods and locally grown, who knew my mother was so smart all those years ago.
I think the key here is to figure out what your family is doing with the vegetables and fruits that you are buying a your neighborhood market. Those recipes and stories should be added to your family cookbook. Some people maybe growing all their vegetables in their own home garden for the first time or the 100th time. There is the story. Do you have to give most away? Do you have a canning party? All these things are elements of great stories that should be part of your cookbook so that you can share so the your family members will not have to create the wheel again and learn for your mistakes. Great stories for creating your own family recipe cookbook.
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