Market Day Essentials: What to Bring to the Farmers Market

A good market trip starts before you leave home. Bring the right bags, keep the delicate things cold on the way back, and store everything properly so the berries, greens and herbs you picked out last until you use them. Here's what we take, and why.

Before you go

Small bills and coins: many stands take cards now, but cash is faster and some vendors still only take cash.
Your SNAP/EBT card if you use one: many markets match SNAP dollars. Look for the market info booth.
Sturdy bags for heavy things (squash, apples, potatoes) and light mesh bags for loose produce.
An insulated bag and ice packs on warm days for eggs, cheese, meat, fish and berries.
A short list, but stay flexible: what's best this week may not be what you planned.
Go early for the best selection, or near closing for end-of-day deals.
Ask vendors how they grow it and how to cook it. It's the best part of the market.

Find a market near you

As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We pick gear for real market trips; prices and availability are on Amazon.

Bring to the market

Carry more, crush less, and keep the cold things cold on the way home.

Earthwise Reusable Mesh Produce Bags (9)

See-through and light, so vendors can weigh produce without unpacking it. They wash and reuse for years.
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Bodaon Insulated Grocery Bags, X-Large (2)

Zip-top insulated totes for eggs, cheese, meat and berries on a warm morning.
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Cool Coolers Slim Ice Packs (4)

Thin enough to slide down the side of a tote. Freeze them the night before.
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dbest products Trolley Dolly Shopping Cart

A folding cart with a removable bag, for when the haul is heavier than your arms.
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ROSONG Collapsible Wagon Cart

Big family market days: pumpkins, flats of berries, a case of tomatoes for sauce.
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Keep your haul fresh

Market produce is often picked a day or two before you buy it. Store it well and it lasts.

Rubbermaid FreshWorks Produce Saver Set

Vented containers that keep greens and soft fruit crisp noticeably longer in the fridge.
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Fruit Storage Containers with Removable Colanders (5)

Berries sit in a draining basket, so they stay dry and don't go soft in their own juice.
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Cole & Mason Fresh Herb Keeper

Stems stand in water like a bouquet, and parsley and cilantro keep for about two weeks.
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OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner

Wash and dry lettuce and greens in one go. Dry leaves last longer.
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Bee's Wrap Beeswax Food Wraps (3)

Wrap half a melon, cut cheese or a loaf of market bread without plastic.
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Turn it into something

Cherries, apples and peaches by the bag: the tools that make the prep quick.

OXO Good Grips Cherry & Olive Pitter

Pits cherries one-handed, with a splatter shield, for pies, clafoutis and jam.
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Apple Peeler Corer Slicer

Peels, cores and slices an apple in seconds. A bushel of pie apples becomes easy.
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PrepWorks Canning Essentials Set

Funnel, jar lifter and the small tools for safe home jam and preserves.
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Ball Wide Mouth Pint Mason Jars

For jams, quick pickles and freezer fruit, or for gifting a jar of vanilla peach jam.
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How to store what you bought

Produce	How	Keeps
Berries	Fridge, unwashed, in a dry container. Rinse just before eating.	3-7 days
Tomatoes	Counter, stem side down, out of the sun. Refrigerate only when fully ripe.	Until ripe
Peaches, plums, nectarines	Counter to ripen, then the fridge.	3-5 days ripe
Leafy greens	Wash, dry well, and store in a container lined with a towel.	About a week
Tender herbs	Stems in water: basil on the counter; parsley, cilantro and dill in the fridge.	1-2 weeks
Sweet corn	Fridge, in the husk. The sugar turns to starch quickly.	1-2 days
Apples and pears	Fridge crisper drawer, away from greens.	Weeks
Potatoes and onions	Cool, dark, dry place, stored apart from each other.	Weeks