We go to the farmers market every weekend as a family to stock up for the coming week of meals. This time of year it’s bursting with so many amazing fruits and vegetables, half of which might be unfamiliar so it’s fun to wander around and sample everything (and impossible to not get a baked sweet as well). We’ve been going regularly enough that we have a few favorite vendors: we know which one sells the sweetest strawberries, the juiciest oranges, which bread is best to freeze for toast, and where the most amazing cinnamon rolls are we can’t seem to avoid week after week. Even though it’s exciting to see all the tables piled up high with beautiful produce, it can be overwhelming deciding what to get. So today we’re teaming up with Zappos + Born’s stylish and amazingly comfortable sandals to share the scoop on what you should be buying right now at your local farmers market (and what to wear while your’e there!)…
What to Buy at the Farmers Market Right Now
Born makes beautiful shoes that are also amazingly comfortable so you can walk around the farmers market (or the boardwalk, or walk to work instead of taking a car) without sacrificing comfort or style. For our farmers market adventure we choose the Born Stephanie sandal. It’s a timeless, strappy sandal that also has a fully cushioned sole (i.e. amazingly comfortable!). It comes in this gold we chose, black, or platinum. I’m so impressed with the combination of comfort and style of the Born shoes in all their great shoes. Nothing better to feel stylish but also comfortable. The linen dress is from Japan and the jean jacket is from GAP.
With Zappos the shipping is free, super speedy (our pair showed up in 48 hours!), returns are a breeze, and there is always the best selection of all kinds of clothing, shoes, and accessories for the whole family. Their customer service is top notch as well if you run into any problems along the way.
And now, what to buy at the farmers market right now:
Peaches are starting to show up at the markets but it’s still early. You may find a few sweet varieties, but I like to wait until the very end of summer and into early fall for those melt in your mouth ones.
Instead try the apricots right now, and the apricot hybrids like plumcots (half plum half apricot) and apriums (more apricot than plum). Apricots are one of my favorite fruits because they’re easy to eat (not messy!), and remind me of my grandparents growing up who had an apricot tree on their block we used to always pick from.
Cherries! They’re amazing right now. They just showed up at the farmers market two weeks ago and are only getting better each week. They vary in color and sweetest. My favorites are the dark reds but eat them quickly because they don’t last long in the fridge.
All the Blueberries. I could eat them buy the handful (which ends up being about $2 a handful). They keep well in the fridge and are great for smoothies and baking. My favorite blueberry recipe is this amazing buttermilk blueberry lemon cake that you have to try. It’s so good and great for a brunch.
For veggies our favorites right now are sugar snap peas, asparagus, and spring mix lettuce with edible flowers. The sugar snap peas are addicting (and fun for kids) . I serve them on the same plate as the fruits and they get gobbled up just as quickly. The spring mix with edible flowers make simple greens + vinaigrettes salads feel special enough for company.
A couple other items to grab if you see them (they won’t be at the market for long): Rhubarb which is great for cobblers and pies, and Nettle. Nettle is a leafy green even more nutritious than kale or spinach (!!) as it’s packed with vitamin a and c, potassium and iron. It does need to be cooked correctly though because it’s got a sting! (hence the name stinging nettle).
You can search by state here if you’d like to find more details on what produce is in season specific to your area.
beautiful shoes and i love that they’re comfy too!
Those cherries look incredible! So many gorgeous colors!
– Maya at http://www.TheKelleyDoll.com
What is the source for her dress though? Did I miss it?
she said it was from japan 🙁
those sandals are beautiful and i want all those cherries right now