Please recommend farmers market for fair pricing

[Anonymous]

I don't know if you can join one mid season, but I recommend doing a CSA instead of or at least in supplement to farmers market produce. My family does Lancaster Farms and it is very reasonably priced for the the amount of great produce you get. It's a co-op as well so your risk is lower than if you do it through a single farm that may have issues should something happen during the season.

This week we got 3 large bell peppers, two huge heirloom tomatoes, 5 full sized carrots, a large head of red cabbage, and a hefty bag of green beans. You pay upfront for the season but it comes to like $20/week (for the size we get at least). I'd pay way easily 1.5x or 2x for the same stuff at the Dupont famers market. It's also really fun to get different stuff each week. I've learned a lot about vegetables I never knew existed because of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ever notice the farmers markets are selling fruits and vegetables that are not even in season around here or anywhere close by?

They usually buy it from wholesalers and what you pay at the farmers market in bethesda is a lot more than what you pay in germantown.

Many of the vendors are not farmers at all but just resellers.

btw, where is a "local" farmer growing bananas around here or have tomatoes in early April and charge 4x what the grocery store sells the same tomatoes for?

No. The farmers market near me only sells produce in season. Occasionally a farm will have some items from another farm in another state and will label them as such.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if you can join one mid season, but I recommend doing a CSA instead of or at least in supplement to farmers market produce. My family does Lancaster Farms and it is very reasonably priced for the the amount of great produce you get. It's a co-op as well so your risk is lower than if you do it through a single farm that may have issues should something happen during the season.

This week we got 3 large bell peppers, two huge heirloom tomatoes, 5 full sized carrots, a large head of red cabbage, and a hefty bag of green beans. You pay upfront for the season but it comes to like $20/week (for the size we get at least). I'd pay way easily 1.5x or 2x for the same stuff at the Dupont famers market. It's also really fun to get different stuff each week. I've learned a lot about vegetables I never knew existed because of it.

Thanks for the reminder about CSAs. I used to get a box delivered from Washington's Green Grocer at times. I was always very happy with the pricing and quality (though not the service). It's a bummer that they are gone.

[Anonymous]

I feel your pain and I’m not even in DC, I can’t imagine! I’m in loudoun county where there actually are local farms in my backyard and I often go to the One Loudoun Farmers market and the prices are just insane. I also have a cabin near Harrisonburg which is the breadbasket of Virginia and the prices at the beautiful and vibrant Harrisonburg farmers market are at least 1/3 of loudoun. I don’t know what to say, I’ve really stopped going much to the Farmers markets in NOVA as it’s insane to pay $6 for a tomato.

[Anonymous]

Check out the Arcadia Mobile Market — to see if they have a site that’s convenient for you.

http://arcadiafood.org/programs/mobile-market

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ever notice the farmers markets are selling fruits and vegetables that are not even in season around here or anywhere close by?

They usually buy it from wholesalers and what you pay at the farmers market in bethesda is a lot more than what you pay in germantown.

Many of the vendors are not farmers at all but just resellers.

btw, where is a "local" farmer growing bananas around here or have tomatoes in early April and charge 4x what the grocery store sells the same tomatoes for?

No never seen it around here.

[Anonymous]

I’m like 99% sure I know which farm you’re referring to, I go to their Saturday market as well.

Look, if you have actually been buying produce from this place for years, the farmers/employees likely know you. Why don’t you just ask them why it’s so expensive? There’s almost certainly a markup because they’re selling in NW DC, but there have also been a number of costs that have gone up, as others have mentioned.

Have you ever tried to grow fruits and vegetables in this climate? It kind of sucks. We have extreme weather on both ends of the spectrum (hot and cold), intense storms, very high humidity that makes it difficult to avoid lots of diseases, lots of pests… I could go on. It is a difficult place to be a small-scale vegetable farmer.

[Anonymous]

They only sell in NW DC and Chevy Chase, so yes, I have a huge problem with price markups solely because of it being NW DC. It's not like they are using the markups to subsidize markets in low-income areas.

The owner and employees are all brand new. I really don't recognize anyone any longer.

I am going to try some of the other places mentioned here (and MOM's is coming to Van Ness), as well as consider a CSA for next summer. I've also heard good things about the Saturday morning market at Van Ness.

Wish me luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ever notice the farmers markets are selling fruits and vegetables that are not even in season around here or anywhere close by?

They usually buy it from wholesalers and what you pay at the farmers market in bethesda is a lot more than what you pay in germantown.

Many of the vendors are not farmers at all but just resellers.

btw, where is a "local" farmer growing bananas around here or have tomatoes in early April and charge 4x what the grocery store sells the same tomatoes for?

No never seen it around here.

Ditto. Bethesda market. Never seen a banana. Everything is in its proper season. Occasionally there are hydroponic tomatoes earlier and later than you might expect but nothing that would cause you to think it’s imported from elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ever notice the farmers markets are selling fruits and vegetables that are not even in season around here or anywhere close by?

They usually buy it from wholesalers and what you pay at the farmers market in bethesda is a lot more than what you pay in germantown.

Many of the vendors are not farmers at all but just resellers.

btw, where is a "local" farmer growing bananas around here or have tomatoes in early April and charge 4x what the grocery store sells the same tomatoes for?

No never seen it around here.

Ditto. Bethesda market. Never seen a banana. Everything is in its proper season. Occasionally there are hydroponic tomatoes earlier and later than you might expect but nothing that would cause you to think it’s imported from elsewhere.

Me again - except citrus. One vendor does sell oranges and grapefruit in winter which obviously are not from around here.

[Anonymous]

How much are you paying?

My summer hobby is eating local/in season produce. I go to a local farm stand (not in DC area) and pay 6 dollars a pound for things like heirloom tomatoes grown by mennonite farmers, and 5 dollars a pound for jersey peaches, and 1.29 an ear for delaware corn.

I think these prices are a little high, but all produce is expensive these days, and the local-ish (60 mi radius) produce tastes so much better than the tomatoes trucked in from canada at whole foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if you can join one mid season, but I recommend doing a CSA instead of or at least in supplement to farmers market produce. My family does Lancaster Farms and it is very reasonably priced for the the amount of great produce you get. It's a co-op as well so your risk is lower than if you do it through a single farm that may have issues should something happen during the season.

This week we got 3 large bell peppers, two huge heirloom tomatoes, 5 full sized carrots, a large head of red cabbage, and a hefty bag of green beans. You pay upfront for the season but it comes to like $20/week (for the size we get at least). I'd pay way easily 1.5x or 2x for the same stuff at the Dupont famers market. It's also really fun to get different stuff each week. I've learned a lot about vegetables I never knew existed because of it.

Thanks for the reminder about CSAs. I used to get a box delivered from Washington's Green Grocer at times. I was always very happy with the pricing and quality (though not the service). It's a bummer that they are gone.

We get a weekly box from Imperfect Foods (which just combined with Hungry Harvest). You might give it a try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much are you paying?

My summer hobby is eating local/in season produce. I go to a local farm stand (not in DC area) and pay 6 dollars a pound for things like heirloom tomatoes grown by mennonite farmers, and 5 dollars a pound for jersey peaches, and 1.29 an ear for delaware corn.

I think these prices are a little high, but all produce is expensive these days, and the local-ish (60 mi radius) produce tastes so much better than the tomatoes trucked in from canada at whole foods.

You are paying too much for peaches, usually $3 a pound in the DC area for non-organic. It is hard to grow organic fruit in the Mid-Atlantic area. I am paying about the same as you are otherwise. I used to grow summer vegetables in my yard, and it cost very little. I now have a shady yard, but I am going to have to figure out how to grow some things again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much are you paying?

My summer hobby is eating local/in season produce. I go to a local farm stand (not in DC area) and pay 6 dollars a pound for things like heirloom tomatoes grown by mennonite farmers, and 5 dollars a pound for jersey peaches, and 1.29 an ear for delaware corn.

I think these prices are a little high, but all produce is expensive these days, and the local-ish (60 mi radius) produce tastes so much better than the tomatoes trucked in from canada at whole foods.

You are paying too much for peaches, usually $3 a pound in the DC area for non-organic. It is hard to grow organic fruit in the Mid-Atlantic area. I am paying about the same as you are otherwise. I used to grow summer vegetables in my yard, and it cost very little. I now have a shady yard, but I am going to have to figure out how to grow some things again.

i knowwwwww...le sigh. i'm always a little shocked when i look at the ticket and realize i paid 14 dollars for 4 peaches but, they are very good peaches.

[Anonymous]

$6 for a pound of heirloom tomatoes? I’m going to rush out and fall at the feet of my crazy productive tomato patch.