Quality fruits and vegetables can be selected by appearance, texture and fragrance. The appearance tells a little story about each piece of produce. Did an insect take a bite before you had the chance? Was the cantaloupe pulled too green or does its color give away the fact that it is overripe?

Any method of selecting produce will be subject to personal tastes and preferences. Choose produce based on how you plan to use it. An overripe peach may be perfect for immediate consumption or a delicious smoothie the same day however would not be right for freezing. Choose produce in several stages of ripening to allow for fresh produce all week long.

Take a look at this condensed version of Farmers' Market Terms to better understand the many farming practices available to farmers.

ARTISAN/ARTISANAL
The these terms imply that products are made by hand in small batches.

CERTIFIED NATURALLY GROWN (CNG)
These products are certified by an independent organization as having been produced in approximate accordance with national organic standards, a program involving fewer paperwork requirements and lower certification fees for farmers than the USDA's National Organic Program. The claim "natural" is unregulated.

BIODYNAMIC
In addition to organic practices such as crop rotation and composting, biodynamic farmers rely on special plant, animal, and mineral preparations and the rhythmic influences of the sun, moon, planets and stars.

CONVENTIONAL
Refers to standard agricultural practices that are widespread in the industry. Can (but does not necessarily) include use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, mono-cropping, antibiotics, hormones and other agribusiness approaches. Conventional farming in the U.S. may also include the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

ELECTRONIC BENEFITS TRANSER (EBT/SNAP)
This electronic system has taken place of the previous Food Stamp Program. It allows participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to authorize transfer of their government benefits from a federal account to a retailer account to pay for fresh foods. The City Market has the capability to make use of this technology on site and can accept SNAP benefit cards.

HEIRLOOM
These crop varieties, also called farmers' varieties or traditional varieties, have been developed by farmers through years of cultivation, selection and seed saving and are passed down through generations. Generally speaking, heirlooms are varieties which have been in existence for a minimum of fifty years.

LOCALLY-GROWN
Food and other agricultural products that are produced, processed and sold within a certain region, whether defined by distance, state border or regional boundaries. The term is unregulated at the national level, meaning that each individual farmers' market can define and regulate the term based on their own mission and circumstances.

NATURALLY-GROWN/ALL NATURAL
USDA guidelines state that all "natural" meat and poultry products can only undergo minimal processing and cannot contain artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, or other artificial ingredients. The claim "natural" is otherwise unregulated.

ORGANICALLY-GROWN/CERTIFIED ORGANIC
All products sold as "organic" must be certified as adhering to the USDA National Organic Program standards. Certification includes annual submission of an organic system plan and inspection of farm fields and processing facilities to verify that organic practices and record keeping are being followed.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Agriculture that is socially just, humane, economically viable and environmentally sound. The term "sustainable" is unregulated.

VEGAN
Foods with this label contain no animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs, gelatin, or honey.

VINE-RIPENED/TREE-RIPENED
Fruit that has been allowed to ripen on the vine or tree. Many fruits that are shipped long distances are picked while still unripe and firm and later treated with ethylene gas at the point of distribution to ripen and soften the fruits.