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Have you become bored with the humdrum routine of shopping at your giant chain supermarket? The same old sterile looking produce is offered each and every day of the year, no matter what happens to be in season at that moment. Most of it is freighted and trucked from far-off lands for long periods of time, traveling thousands of miles from field to plate.
Perhaps you are looking to add more fresh, seasonal flavors to your cooking. Well it’s time to enter the land of the local and make a weekly stop at the farmer’s market part of your normal routine. You can freshen up your fruit and veggie selections there and add a bit more color to your life too!
Shopping at the farmers market is a great way to teach your kids about where their food comes from. You get to meet the farmers who actually grow and produce the food. They are intimately acquainted with the land and usually happy to share their knowledge of how food grows. Sometimes there are fun activities and demonstrations that kids really enjoy too. Even the family dog may be welcome to sniff out some fresh goodies.
Best of all, you can engage all of the senses in your shopping. From the smell of freshly picked herbs to the feeling of juicy berries, warmed by the sun, to the crunch of sugar snap peas straight off the vine, it’s a feast to behold. Somehow, out in the open air, it all becomes a little more lively and colorful. I always end up spending a bit more money and time at the farmers market than I intended! Then, when you return home from the market with your bounty, the fun of deciding what to do with it all begins.
Another way to get farmer’s market fresh produce on your dinner table is to join a CSA, a community supported agriculture association. CSAs are a partnership between a group of people and a farm, in which growers and consumers share in the risks and rewards of the growing season (usually June through September). CSAs usually involve a delivery or pickup of a box of fresh veggies, fruit, and sometimes meats, cheese, and flowers, to participants each week. Many CSA farms also allow members to come volunteer and work for a day on the farm, a real chance to show kids how food grows. It’s also a great way to get more variety in your diet, as the mix of garden fresh veggies usually changes depending on the season and what is growing well. You never know what you might get!
When you cook with produce driven by the seasons, it brings a whole new approach to your menu. Veggies and fruits take center stage on the plate. Maybe you’ll start dinner with a fresh roasted beet and goat cheese salad. Then enjoy a main course of creamy polenta (you can use local stone ground cornmeal or grits if they are available) with spinach and other diced fresh veggies. And if your market or CSA offers meat, you could prepare a simple grilled chicken or steak to go alongside. Top it all off with a delicious cobbler of the summer’s freshest fruits.
What are your favorite finds at the local farmer’s market?
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1167-farmers-market-finds/
To Market, To Market
Have you become bored with the humdrum routine of shopping at your giant chain supermarket? The same old sterile looking produce is offered each and every day of the year, no matter what happens to be in season at that moment. Most of it is freighted and trucked from far-off lands for long periods of time, traveling thousands of miles from field to plate.
Perhaps you are looking to add more fresh, seasonal flavors to your cooking. Well it’s time to enter the land of the local and make a weekly stop at the farmer’s market part of your normal routine. You can freshen up your fruit and veggie selections there and add a bit more color to your life too!
Shopping at the farmers market is a great way to teach your kids about where their food comes from. You get to meet the farmers who actually grow and produce the food. They are intimately acquainted with the land and usually happy to share their knowledge of how food grows. Sometimes there are fun activities and demonstrations that kids really enjoy too. Even the family dog may be welcome to sniff out some fresh goodies.
Best of all, you can engage all of the senses in your shopping. From the smell of freshly picked herbs to the feeling of juicy berries, warmed by the sun, to the crunch of sugar snap peas straight off the vine, it’s a feast to behold. Somehow, out in the open air, it all becomes a little more lively and colorful. I always end up spending a bit more money and time at the farmers market than I intended! Then, when you return home from the market with your bounty, the fun of deciding what to do with it all begins.
Another way to get farmer’s market fresh produce on your dinner table is to join a CSA, a community supported agriculture association. CSAs are a partnership between a group of people and a farm, in which growers and consumers share in the risks and rewards of the growing season (usually June through September). CSAs usually involve a delivery or pickup of a box of fresh veggies, fruit, and sometimes meats, cheese, and flowers, to participants each week. Many CSA farms also allow members to come volunteer and work for a day on the farm, a real chance to show kids how food grows. It’s also a great way to get more variety in your diet, as the mix of garden fresh veggies usually changes depending on the season and what is growing well. You never know what you might get!
When you cook with produce driven by the seasons, it brings a whole new approach to your menu. Veggies and fruits take center stage on the plate. Maybe you’ll start dinner with a fresh roasted beet and goat cheese salad. Then enjoy a main course of creamy polenta (you can use local stone ground cornmeal or grits if they are available) with spinach and other diced fresh veggies. And if your market or CSA offers meat, you could prepare a simple grilled chicken or steak to go alongside. Top it all off with a delicious cobbler of the summer’s freshest fruits.
What are your favorite finds at the local farmer’s market?
Creamy Parmesan Polenta
Made with salt and pepper, chicken broth, cornmeal, water, Parmesan cheese, whipping cream, butter
Made with salt and pepper, chicken broth, cornmeal, water, Parmesan cheese, whipping cream, butter
Serves/Makes: 6
- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper, to taste
Bring the broth to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Combine the water and cornmeal in a bowl and mix until combined. While stirring, slowly add the cornmeal mixture to the boiling broth. Mix well, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes.
Stir half of the cheese, the cream, and butter into the polenta. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the polenta to a serving bowl or individual plates and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Serve hot.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1167-farmers-market-finds/