How to shop low-waste at the farmers market
If reducing plastic is something you care about, the farmers market is one of the easiest places to make that happen. Most of what we sell goes straight from the farmers to you, unlike almost any other grocery shopping experience. If you have an extra minute to pack a handful of reusable plastic bags and containers plus a reusable grocery tote, you’ll be all set.
What to bring to the farmers market to shop with packaging
Bags: The most useful thing you can bring is something most people already have at home: a handful of reused plastic bags. Grocery sacks or produce bags work best. They pack flat, they're lightweight, and they make it easy to get your produce home in good shape. Ziploc bags are too small for most produce.
Sealable hard-sided containers: Great for small items we typically sell in pint containers: cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, shallots, even plums. They keep things from rolling around or getting crushed. Just open the container back up when you get home. These crops don't like trapped moisture.
A tote or basket: A farmers market essential no matter what you're buying. Baskets are prettier, but bringing a tote or two as backup is smart for when you start to overfill.
Our favorite—insulated totes: These are our top pick. They keep in moisture, help maintain temps, and fit most types of produce easily. Bonus: tuck in an ice pack wrapped in a paper towel to keep things even cooler on the drive home.
Produce that doesn’t need a bag
Squash, cured onions, cured garlic, and potatoes are fine loose in your tote the whole way home. Leeks, cabbage, and beets can make the trip without a bag too — but once you're in the kitchen, get them into a bag or container before they go in the fridge. Remember to separate greens from the roots for longer storage when it comes to carrots, beets, radishes, and turnips.
Which brings us to the most important tip.
Even in the crisper drawer, most produce benefits from a bag
Your crisper drawer alone isn't enough for most vegetables. Even on the right setting, it doesn't provide the humidity most produce actually needs. Cabbages will lose layers. Greens will wilt faster than they should. It really never hurts to put a bag or container around anything going into your fridge, as long as it isn't soaking wet first.
The only real exceptions are things that live on your counter, like cherry tomatoes. Those are better left out.
For a deeper dive into storing specific vegetables, our Veggie Storage Guide has you covered.
Produce we package in plastic no matter what
Low-waste shopping matters to us too, but some crops need a bag to reach you in good shape. Salad mix, arugula, and spinach need to be bagged to prevent wilting on the way to market and to keep your greens clean. Quality comes first so that we don’t create food waste.
What if you forget your bags?
We always have bags at the stand — no big deal. Getting your vegetables home in good shape is the priority, and we'd rather hand you a bag than send you home with wilty carrots.
That said, if cutting down on packaging waste is something you care about, bringing your own really does make a difference. Even saving and reusing bags from a previous market run helps more than you might think.
See you at the market!
