The Farmers Market Essential Most People Forget To Bring

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Among the 11 mistakes to avoid when shopping at a farmers' market is forgetting to bring a reusable shopping bag — but people often forget to grab a cooler packed with ice, especially in the warmer months. A cooler is a farmers market essential that will ensure you're storing and transporting your market finds safely back home.

Fresh and frozen meats, fish, eggs, cheeses, and other dairy products need to stay at the right temperature to ensure they don't become unsafe to eat. Anything that's not shelf stable benefits from riding in the cooler — including cut fruit. If it's exceptionally hot out, you may even want to throw in baked goods or sweets so they don't melt on the drive home.

Another perk of bringing a cooler is that you don't have to carefully time your visit to grab cold foods at the end of the shopping trip. Vendors at the farmers market tend to have limited supplies, and you don't want them selling out before you can get to your favorite stalls. This is also why researching the market vendors in advance is one of the 15 tips for shopping at a farmers market.

Transporting meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and cooked or prepared foods in a cooler is important because these foods can begin to develop bacteria that cause foodborne illness. When these foods are between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, spoilage bacteria go into overdrive. If your food remains in that temperature zone for two hours or more, it's no longer safe to eat. Storing and transporting these foods at a temperature below 40 degrees is your best bet for not getting food poisoning or having to throw out your farmers' market goodies.

It's also smart to keep an eye on vendors at the market for proper food handling and safety, as you don't want to buy something that's already been compromised. Make sure you see fresh and frozen meats being stored in coolers, fridges, and freezers. The same goes for dairy and pasteurized eggs, as well as prepared foods and juices. While fresh produce might not spoil quickly in the direct sun and heat, it does affect the quality, so look for those kept in the shade. Stalls offering prepared hot foods should keep them and serve them hot, unless it's made to order.

If you're loading up during your farmers' market venture, you may want to take a rolling cooler. Otherwise, collapsible bags like the Baleine Insulated Reusable Grocery Bags paired with some leak-proof ice packs like the Cool Coolers by Fit & Fresh 4 Pack Slim Ice Packs will be efficient.