One of my absolute favourite things to do is visit the farmers market (or any kind of market for that matter).

After many early morning wake ups, a few sleep ins and last minute dashes... Ive been at all times of the day and feel i have all the advice one can muster together to maximise your trip to the markets!

1. If you want to beat the crowds and buy the best quality produce: Arrive early! However not too early, you want all the stall holders to have their produce set up. Get the cream of the crop by getting in there first.

2. If you’re on a budget: Arrive later! Some farmers might offer end of day discounts to avoid heading back to the farm with ready to eat produce.

3. BYO sustainable bags: Eat fresh and do good baby! Most farmers markets are plastic free and encourage you to bring your own environmentally friendly bags to carry your goodies.

4. Buy whats in season: Eating whats in season is an easy way to ensure you are getting a variety of nutrients in your diet. Mix it up, naturally! Rather than buying produce from stores that preserve foods in various ways to offer them year round.

5. The uglier the better: Spread the love and buy the “ugly” or mis-shaped produce. Don’t let the shapes fool you, they taste just as delicious. These are often discounted as they cant be sold in store.

6. Come prepared and be flexible: Avoid wandering aimlessly by having a few ideas of what you want to cook for the week in the back of your mind. Sometimes the produce has other plans, take advantage of the fresh finds on offer.

7. Bring cash: A lot of farmers markets these days will (hopefully) have eftpos or an ATM set up, but you don’t want to rely on this. A lot of stall holders are still only accepting cash, so come prepared.

8. Farmer knows best: If you see something you’re not familiar with, ask the farmer how to cook with it! Diversify your diet by trying new things, don’t get stuck in a cycle of cooking with the same ingredients.. thats not only boring, but it limits your nutrient variation.