I find shopping at a farmers market relaxing: the colors, the smells, the tables spilling over with fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. It is a feast for the senses. Shopping at the grocery store, on the other hand, is usually anything but relaxing. Is there a way to shop only at the farmers market and skip the weekly trip to the supermarket? Sure! Here are my strategies for making it happen.

It may come as a surprise to some, but buying foods labeled cage-free or grass-fed does not necessarily mean that those items are what they say they are, or what we assume they mean.  This can be really frustrating if you are trying to do your best to purchase humane and sustainable food, not to mention that foods labeled with these claims are often more expensive.  Do you pay extra for organic, or non-GMO, or hormone-free foods?  Do you know which labels are reliable?  Read on for more information and sources for identifying which labels you can trust. 

There are no secrets about food in our home. Our children, if they're paying attention, know where it comes from and what it was doing before it ended up on the plate. Though we don't forbid anything, we aren't shy about letting them know the difference between that fast food chicken sandwich and the chicken we got from Mr. Eubanks at the farmers' market. Much like adults, kids will eat what they want, in spite of what they know. But we like them to know what they're getting into. Take soft shell crabs, for instance. 

If you want to maximize your grocery shopping budget, the Environmental Working Group's annual Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists are essential tools for figuring out when it is worth spending more for organic produce, based on the pesticide residue levels found on 48 common fruits and vegetables. This year, cherry tomatoes and summer squash join the Dirty Dozen.

I spent a little longer than usual strolling the aisles of the grocery the other day killing time while waiting for an appointment. Initially I was pleasantly surprised to notice so many whole-grain products — we're used to seeing whole-grain breads, crackers and baking mixes, but potato chips and sandwich cookies? I went home and did some research on the regulations for labeling a product "whole grain" and it turns out the rules are pretty darn loose. So how can a consumer know if a product is truly a whole-grain food?

I can't think of a more perfect person to interview for our Expert Essentials series (see the whole series so far here!) than Sam Mogannam, owner of Bi-Rite Grocery in San Francisco.  Not only did Sam grow up in the grocery store, which was owned by his family, but he went to culinary school and worked as a chef before returning to Bi-Rite to reinvent it from a cooks point of view.  He is absolutely dedicated to helping people love, appreciate, understand, and enjoy food and cooking.  Read on for his lively, engaging list of essential things for a happy home kitchen. 

You may already be in the habit of tweeting and Instagramming your visits to the farmers' market, but wouldn't it be great if there were an app to tell you best things to look out for, an app that could compile everyone's market recommendations for that day? Where you could see, in real time, what's happening at your local farmer's market — what people are buying, what they're making, what sales and specials are going on. Now there is. New iphone app Farmstand lets you quickly find your closest farmers' market and check in on everything that's happening. See a video of how it works below:

These concentrated herb oil sprays are something entirely new for us — have you ever seen them before? Could they be your next pantry staple? More

I love going to the store, choosing which apple looks perfect to me, and stumbling upon products that weren't necessarily on my shopping list. But there are weeks when it all gets tiresome, and I find myself going to the grocery store more times than makes sense. I've started to get smarter with each trip to the store, acknowledging that there are easy steps that alleviate the potential headache. More

How long will chicken stay fresh in the refrigerator? How long can you keep grapes on the countertop? Is it okay to freeze cucumbers? There is a certain amount of common sense when determining if a given food is past its prime (and you can always try a smell test) but for general guidelines and planning purposes this infographic from Visual.ly is incredibly handy. Check out the full graph below with shelf life guides to over 30 uncut, unopened, and uncooked fruits, veggies, meats, condiments and other typical fridge foods: