38 Food Finds for a Farmers Market Scavenger Hunt
Your local farmers market is a fantastic place year-round to find fresh native produce and get to know others in your community. Farmers markets provide a small slice of Americana that some might think lost, but when you shake the hand of the person who grew the tomatoes that you are having for lunch, a fundamental shift occurs in your thinking and eating process, which becomes more real with each juicy bite.
With the renewed focus on local eating and sustainable living, farmers markets are on the rise all over America, especially big cities where the neighborhood markets promote a friendly, community vibe that isn’t easily found elsewhere these days. Depending on the season and your location, you will find a variety of offerings on hand at farmers markets, from fresh cherry tomatoes and ears of corn in the summer to hard winter squash and parsnips for the winter months.
This Farmers Market Scavenger Hunt is great for kids because it focuses not only on seeing different fruits and vegetables, but also on interacting with the produce vendors and local community. When asked where milk comes from, most American children will say “the store” instead of “a cow” – this fun game will teach your brood a thing or two about where their dinner comes from. Get creative and make it into a Bingo card – and don’t forget to add the items you need to make a fresh-from-the-market dinner that night.
Farmers Markets exist in nearly every city in America; find yours (Google your city name with “farmers market”), and then see how many of these fun Farmers Markets things you can spot.
Street musician with a smile
(image: Dekka Ten)
Kid on dad’s shoulders
(image: country_boy_shane)
Bouquet of fresh flowers in your favorite color
(image: kevindooley)
Fruit that you have never seen before
(image: sneakerdog)
Farmer with dirt on his or her hands
(image: LOLren)
The smell of something grilling
(image: mccun934)
Bin of bright green apples
(image: Ed Yourdon)
Dog with tongue hanging out of its mouth
(image: Bob B. Brown)
Fresh organic green beans
(image: SummerTomato)
Nutella crepe
(image: Bob B. Brown)
Young couple sharing a dish on the curb
(image: go ask alice…)
Old couple holding hands
(image: garryknight)
Fruit that grows on a vine
(image: Oh-Barcelona.com)
Animal other than a dog
(image: vijay_chennupati)
Free sample of cheese
(image: dfarrell07)
Slice of fruit pie
(image: little blue hen)
Double stroller with two sleeping children
(image: Julie, Dave & Family)
Something from the ocean
(image: Pink Sherbet Photography)
Food truck sidled up to the market
(image: ricardodiaz11)
Purple vegetable
(image: aplysia_06)
Pot of fresh thyme
(image: TheDeliciousLife)
Dreadlocked neo hippie selling pipes from a blanket on the ground
(image: Big Richard C)
Someone taking photos of the market
(image: Adam Freidin)
Child on a leash
(image: rocketjim54)
Loaf of fresh made bread that is still warm
(image: surlygirl)
Someone in sunglasses sipping espresso
(image: karen_neoh)
Farmer who raises goats
(image: Martin Pettitt)
Homemade hummus
(image: timlewisnm)
Something grown in the same city you are in
(image: lmainjohnson7)
Recipe for fried tomatoes
(image: trekkyandy)
Herb than begins with ‘B’
(image: cookbookman17)
Item from South America
(image: timsnell)
Child vendor
(image: USDAgov)
Heirloom fruit or vegetable, any variety
(image: LCBGlenn)
Something sold in a jar
(image: llsimon53)
Vegetable grown under ground
(image: clayirving)
Fruit that is fuzzy
(image: procsilas)
Second-generation farmer
(image: Laura Padgett)
top image: Liberal Democrats
