Resist the urge to wash your bounty and put it into the refrigerator right away.

Ripening fruits such as melons and fruits with pits (nectarines, peaches, etc.) need to stand at room temperature. Their vitamins and phytochemicals tend to increase as they ripen.

And most vegetables and fruits will last longer if you wash and/or peel them just before using them this is especially true for berries. The moisture that water leaves can lead to rot more quickly; trust me, Ive lost more strawberries this way. Those berries should be refrigerated as soon as you bring them home. Rinse and slice them just before you’re ready to pop them into your mouth or toss them into some yogurt.

When it comes to greens, for maximum flavor, refrigerate and use them within one week. Fresh herbs and watercress can be stored like cut flowers; simply place a bunch with the stem ends in a container of fresh water. Put a plastic bag loosely over the top and refrigerate for up to four days.

This trick also works for asparagus. Place stalks in the coldest part of the refrigerator, standing upright in a container of shallow water; use within a couple of days of purchase.

• Michigan Apple Committee

• Apple Varieties in Michigan

• Apple Journal

3 medium-sized apples
4 cups peeled, cored apples
Plan on 6 to 8 medium-sized apples for a 9-inch pie.
2 1/2 to 3 pounds equals 2 pints frozen apple slices.
2 1/2 to 3 pounds equals 2 pints canned (slices or applesauce).
12 1/4 pounds equals a canner load of 9 pints.
19 pounds equal a canner load of 7 quarts.
1 bushel is about 48 pounds.

3 medium potatoes
3 cups peeled and sliced potatoes
2 cups mashed potatoes
2 cups french fries
POTATO TYPES
Round or white potatoes have thin red, brown or yellow outer skin and are good for boiling and in stews. They can also be baked.

New potatoes are freshly harvested. They are sweet and moist and good for boiling and in stews.

Russets are oblong with thick outer skins. They are good for baking and make excellent mashed potatoes.

10 Reasons to Buy Local Food

1.      Locally grown food tastes better.  Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past day or two.  It’s crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor.  Produce flown or trucked in from California, Florida, Chile or Holland is, quite understandably, much older.  Several studies have shown that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles.  In a week-long (or more) delay from harvest to dinner table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses its vitality.

2.      Local produce is better for you.  A recent study showed that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly.  Food that is frozen or canned soon after harvest is actually more nutritious than some “fresh” produce that has been on the truck or supermarket shelf for a week.  Locally grown food, purchased soon after harvest, retains its nutrients.

3.      Local food preserves genetic diversity.  In the modern industrial agricultural system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting equipment; for a tough skin that can survive packing and shipping; and for an ability to have a long shelf life in the store.  Only a handful of hybrid varieties of each fruit and vegetable meet those rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants grown.  Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an array of eye-catching colors, and the best flavors.  Many varieties are heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation, because they taste good.  These old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds or even thousands of years of human selection; they may someday provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.

4.      Local food is GMO-free.  Although biotechnology companies have been trying to commercialize genetically modified fruits and vegetables, they are currently licensing them only to large factory-style farms.  Local farmers don’t have access to genetically modified seed, and most of them wouldn’t use it event if they could.  A June 2001 survey by ABC News showed that 93% of Americans want labels on genetically modified food – most so that they can avoid it.  If you are opposed to eating bioengineered food, you can rest assured that locally grown produce was bred the old-fashioned way, as nature intended.

5.      Local food supports local farm families.  With fewer than 1 million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed.  And no wonder – commodity prices are at historic lows, often below the cost of production.  The farmer now gets less than 10 cents of the retail food dollar.  Local farmers who sell direct to the consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food – which means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.

6.      Local food builds community.  When you buy direct from the farmer, you are reestablishing a time-honored connection between the eater and the grower.  Knowing the farmers gives you insight into the seasons, the weather, and the miracle of raising food.  In many cases, it gives you access to a farm where your children and grandchildren can to go to learn about nature and agriculture.  Relationships built on understanding and trust can thrive.

7.      Local food preserves open space.  As the value of direct-marketed fruits and vegetables increases, selling farmland for development becomes less likely.  You have probably enjoyed driving out into the country and appreciated the lush fields of crops, the meadows full of wildflowers, the picturesque red barns.  That landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable.  When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.

8.      Local food keeps your taxes in check.  Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it generates in taxes, according to several studies.  On average, for every $1 in revenue raised by residential development, governments must spend $1.17 on services, thus requiring higher taxes of all taxpayers.  For each dollar of revenue raised by farm, forest, or open space, governments spend 34 cents on services.

9.      Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife.  A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued.  Good stewards of the land grow cover crops to prevent erosion and replace nutrients used by their crops.  Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help combat global warming.  According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage could sequester 12 – 14% of the carbon emitted by vehicles and industry.  In addition, the habitat of a farm – the patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings – is the perfect environment for many beloved species of wildlife, including bluebirds, killdeer, herons, bats and rabbits.

10.  Local food is about the future.  By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, and that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food.

Buy local food.
Sustain local farms.

Farm Fresh: This phrase is a marketing term used in retail and direct farm sales. In general it means that the product is being purchased directly from a farm. If freshness is a concern, ask when the produce was harvested or the eggs collected.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): GMOs are plants and animals that have had their genetic make-up altered in the laboratory to exhibit traits that are not naturally theirs. For example, tomato plants can be genetically altered so the tomatoes will store longer. In general, genes are taken (copied) from one organism with a desired trait and transferred into the genetic code of another organism. Genetic modification is currently allowed in conventional farming in the United States.

Locally Grown Food: Food grown near the point of its consumption. There is no standard definition for “local” when it comes to food — a particular definition of “local” might be based upon county, state, region, watershed, or another boundary. Ask the market master how the market defines “local”.

MDA: Michigan Department of Agriculture; this agency informs and enforces policy and procedures for food production and safety standards at the state level, promotes Michigan food and agriculture interests, and supports environmental stewardship within the state.

Pasteurize: The process involves heating the product to 160ºF for a few seconds and then immediately cooled. The high temperature kills any bacteria that might be in the food product.

Quality and Grading: The USDA, working with farmer organizations, has established quality standards and grades for many types of food. These standards and grades are used to specify and price food sales in the wholesale market. Many food products sold in farmers’ markets have not been graded. Remember that bigger is not necessarily better. Some of the best tasting produce is small and cosmetically imperfect. However, you should not find bruised or rotting produce in the marketplace.

Vine-ripened/Tree-ripened: “Vine-ripened” or “tree-ripened” is a term applied to fruit or vegetables that have ripened on the vine or tree and then picked when ripe. They often taste better because their flavor and sugars have developed naturally. They can be delicate to the touch and too fragile to ship. Fruits shipped long distances may be picked while still unripe, and later treated to “ripen” and soften them prior to being sold.

USDA: United States Department of Agriculture; this agency forms policy and procedures for food production and processing at the national (federal) level, regulates interstate commerce of agricultural products, promotes markets for U.S. agricultural products domestically and abroad, implements various food assistance and education programs, and manages on farm natural resource conservation programs.

Organic: Organic farming relies on developing biological diversity in the field to disrupt habitat for pest organisms, and to maintain and replenish the soil. Organic farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

Certified Organic: The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reponsible for the managing the National Organic Program, which was implemented in October 2002. Organic farming avoids the use of most artificial inputs, like synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and bans the use of animal by-products, antibiotics and sewage sludge among other practices. Any food product (except fish) using the word organic must be certified as such by an official USDA accredited certifier.

Hormone-Free: There is no government or official definition for this term except on meat and poultry products as defined by the US Department of Agriculture. Use of the term “hormone free” is considered “unapprovable” by USDA on any meat products. Meat and poultry products carrying the “no hormones administered” claim imply that the animal must not have received any added hormones during the course of its lifetime.

Free-range: Free range (or free roaming) implies that a meat or poultry product comes from an animal that was raised in the open air or was free to roam. Its use on beef is unregulated and there is no standard definition of this term. The term “free range” is only regulated by the USDA for use on meat poultry products. USDA requires that birds have been given access to the outdoors but for an undetermined period each day. “Free range” claims on eggs are not regulated. To learn more about what is meant by this term, customers should ask the rancher about their specific practices. (CUESA) Free range (or free roaming) is a general claim that implies that a meat or poultry product, including eggs, comes from an animal that was raised in the open air or was free to roam. Its use on beef is unregulated and there is no standard definition of this term.

Free range is regulated by the USDA for use on poultry only (not eggs) and USDA requires that birds have been given access to the outdoors but for an undetermined period each day. USDA considers five minutes of open-air access each day to be adequate for it to approve use of the free range claim on a poultry product. “Free range” claims on eggs are not regulated at all. To learn more about what is meant by this term, consumers must contact the manufacturer.

Heirloom: Heirloom varieties, also called farmers’ varieties, traditional varieties or landraces, have been selected and developed by farmers through years of cultivation and seed saving for the next season. Farmers hand them down through generations. These varieties are often specifically suited to a certain climate and soil type, and have been selected for flavor, pest resistance, productivity, and even beauty. Heirlooms are typically very genetically diverse and variable.

Transitional: Farmers need to practice organic methods for three years on a given piece of land before the products grown there can be certified organic. “Transitional” means that the farmland is in the midst of that transition period towards organic certification.

It Pays To Get Up Early. Get to the Market when it opens to find the best selection and the freshest produce.

Dress Comfortably. Wear walking shoes and dress appropriately for the weather. The Muskegon Farmer’s Market is open rain or shine, so dress accordingly.

Always bring cash. It will help if you bring small bills and change. You will be paying at each individual farmer’s stand and they usually do not accept checks or credit cards.

Bring large cloth or net shopping bags to consolidate purchases. Old baby and toddler carts make good shopping carts. When selecting one for use, keep in mind that the market can get crowded and you want something easy to maneuver. If you use a wire folding cart, place a cardboard box with a liner in the bottom of the cart to keep your purchases from pushing through the wire squares.

Try not to carry a purse. Fanny packs and pockets are the best way to carry money and keys.

Dogs are prohibited in the Muskegon Farmer’s Market.

When you first arrive at the market, take a few minutes to walk around, see what is available and what the prices are. Usually there is more than one vendor selling a product and prices can vary.

If you decide to try to bargain on price, you may have a better chance with larger quantities. Don’t be afraid to ask.

Try Something New. Buy something you haven’t tried before. The Muskegon Farmer’s Market is the perfect place to get educated about food, if you make the effort. Never tried kohlrabi? A vendor can advise you on how to select and prepare it.

Bring a Cooler. Put a cooler in your car to keep food items cool when you buy at the market but won’t be going home until later on in the day.

Ask Questions. Make sure to ask questions of the vendors when you see unfamiliar produce. Vendors and farmers love to share their knowledge and can even give you recipes and cooking tips.