Where we get our ingredients is often as important as what we do with them. Watch any food show, read any food book or talk to any chef and the first thing they’ll tell you is to start with the freshest, highest-quality ingredients you can afford. With that in mind, I went to the capital of fresh, minimally-shipped and stored produce, the local farmers market. I peppered the poor vendors with questions, wanting to know how the economy and weather have impacted them, how business is and if customers' buying patterns have changed.

A big difference all of the farmers mentioned has more to do with the weather than anything else. Most vendors sell a combination of what they grow themselves and what they buy from other farms. Since our farmers markets are Jersey Fresh, this means they can only sell products which are produced in-state, whether grown in a different climate in New Jersey or in a hothouse.

Due to the rainy, colder and less sunny June we had, production just isn’t there for this early part of the farmers market, which means the farmers have to compete to buy produce, according to Paul McCullen, an employee at Stony Hill Garden. The produce at this Morris County farm is literally growing more slowly due to the temperatures and weather, which has pushed them back and cut into their bottom line. “We’ve had to rely on South Jersey farmers to help fill the deficit,” McCullen said. And since the small farms don’t have the buying power of bigger operations, it’s hard for them to compete.

James Kesler, the proprietor of Tree-Licious Orchard, had to skip a couple of weeks due to a lack of production. Unlike the majority of the farmers, he only sells what he grows on his land. “People want more variety from me,” he said, “but my vegetables just aren’t ripe yet.” His fruit and vegetables have been delayed in ripening, and many of his peaches are smaller than usual, the Warren County farmer recounted. “It’s been a crazy growing season,” the seventh-generation farmer said in his West Virginian twang.

This explains the price spike in June, leaving many shoppers surprised at what was approximately 20 percent higher prices at farmers markets over grocery stores, according to McCullen. But he's quick to point out that their produce is better, fresher and all locally produced. Most items from grocers come from out-of-state or abroad, which means they were shipped and stored longer. McCullen believes it’s important to keep as much money in-state as possible, which contributes to employment and easing taxes.

“People are tired of imported food,” said Sharon Kyle, one of the proprietors of K&S Farm. “They don’t know what it’s sprayed with or where it comes from.” With people trying to eat healthier, incorporating more fresh produce into their diets, Kyle finds that farmers markets are still in demand.

McCullen of Stony Hill Garden and Kyle of K&S Farm agree that the number one difference they’re noticing this year is that people are much more price conscious than ever before. “They’re definitely looking for bargains and shopping around,” Kyle said. “Price is a huge factor.” McCullen agrees. “Customers are really looking to see who has the lowest price. There’s no stand loyalty like in years past,” he said.

And folks have been comparing a lot to grocery stores, as well. “There’s a perception that farmers market prices should be lower than the market. We can beat them on some things, but not everything,” McCullen said. Even so, he's predicting that grocery store prices will trend up just as the local farms start reaping their bounty. Texas and California are experiencing severe droughts right now, he said. Upwards of 500,000 acres of California farmland are laying fallow, while severe amounts of cattle are being culled in Texas.

The economy has had an influence on what sells and what doesn’t. Kyle finds that people are cooking more at home now. “More than ever, people are asking a lot more questions about items they haven’t used before,” she said. It’s her goal to make up signs with recipes to help educate people and wishes she had more time to talk to customers about how to cook her produce. Kale and Swiss chard, for instance, can be bought in large bundles for just $1. “That’s a lot of value for a buck, so they’re trying to figure out how to use them,” she said. She’s also seeing her multi-use items sell more. Beets have been popular because nothing goes to waste— you can cook with the beets and then put the greens in a salad. She had a customer the other day who used to just buy them by the can but was excited about the value of using the tops as well.

McCullen has found his sweets have been impacted by the economy. People now are mostly just buying their pies by the slice or halves as opposed to last year when they sold a lot of whole pies. Scott Smith, an employee at Hoboken Farms, says the major sales decrease they’ve seen is with their mozzarella, which is usually a big seller for them. “Tomato production has been down,” he said, “and people tend to eat mozzarella with tomatoes.”  The hardest hit category? Flowers, Kyle said. They’re seeing a lot less people buying cut arrangements, which makes her quite relieved that she dedicated less of her land to them this year.

And now for the big question: How are the farmers holding up financially in these times? K&S Farm is holding steady this year, Kyle reports. “Sales have been as good if not a little better than last year,” she said. Part of this might be attributable to the other format the farm caters to. For the last 20 years, they’ve had a booth at a flea market in Englishtown. Due to the difference in venue, they sell in bulk as opposed to individual items. In exchange, the customer ends up getting a better deal and the farm makes up the profit margin through volume. Due to the economy, Kyle says that the sales at that flea market have actually increased quite a bit for them. Smith at Hoboken Farms, on the other hand, isn’t reporting as positive news. They sell mozzarella and prepared items and are about 50% down from last year. But "people have to eat,” Smith said with a smile and thinks that once the weather gets better and holds steady, they’ll see better sales. Kesler said that Tree-Licious sales are a little slower than last year, though he’s not discouraged. As for Stony Hill Garden, McCullen said that “overall, the market is still just about the same as last year. People are still coming out and supporting us, which is something to be very thankful for.” And with that in mind, I have to excuse myself so that I can cut up my Farmers Market bounty for dinner tonight. Eat fresh, eat healthy and enjoy!

Ben Salmon is a former literary agent and the owner of Kitchen a la
Mode: Accessories for Cooking & Entertaining in the heart of downtown
South Orange. Each week, his local food column at Patch explores the
food and drink scene in the area.

Have an idea for something you'd like me to explore? Email me. I'd love to hear from you.