The Good Brigade via Getty Imagesare a wonderful place to buy in-season fruits and vegetables, eggs, bakery items, honey and more. They also provide an opportunity to meet the people who grow or make your food — and a chance for you to accidentally annoy or offend them.
“It’s upsetting when a customer, usually a tourist from another state, insists on negotiating a price for a wedge of cheese,” said Angela Miller, the founder and co-owner of. “Our cheeses are artisanal, handmade, cave-aged and very labor intensive. We try to price them fairly, commensurate with the quality and costs.”“Would someone argue the price of a $20 bottle of wine from a small vineyard?” Miller said.
That’s not the only reason why buying directly from these farmers may seem more expensive. “Our food system often hides the true cost of food by subsidizing commodity producers with your tax dollars,” said Catt Fields White, the director ofFarmers markets are a place for the whole family, but parents still need to keep an eye on their kids, just like they would anywhere else.“We love seeing families with children at farmers markets, but please keep your children in order,” Schmidt said.
In the quest for a great Instagram photo, many people take pictures or videos of booths while others are trying to shop, which can interrupt sales. Some markets have created social media rules to thwart this.At busy farmers markets, the visitor who blocks a pretty display just to take multiple selfies is costing that farmer sales,” she added. “Farmers need to sell what they’ve harvested for the day.