Winter is coming; it’s time to stock up.
There may be only a few Online Farmers Markets left, but you can keep local food on the table all winter long if you start preparing now. Check out our tips below, and remember that spending more now not only gives our vendors a late-season boost, but means you’ll have fewer trips to the store and better-tasting food in the cold months ahead.
1. Stock up on frozen items
If you’ve been loving local meat and frozen yogurt all season long, consider whether you have enough freezer space to buy a few months’ worth before the market ends. We recommend getting enough for your household to have a local meat/burrito entrée or frozen yogurt desert one to two times per week for three months.
Check out Rehberg’s Pork, Rapid Creek Ranch, Twisted Oaks Meats and Yotopia for the best frozen options.
2. Preserve, preserve, preserve! 
Just because your food doesn’t come to you dried or frozen doesn’t mean you can’t preserve it yourself. Most veggies will need to be blanched before freezing (with the exception of onions), but once frozen will last for up to a year. Check out this guide from Mosaic on freezing produce (or do some research on freezing your favorite fall veggie) and pick at least one item to in buy bulk and freeze.
We recommend carrots, broccoli, cabbage, chard, kale or basil for produce starters. Remember that many non-produce items also freeze beautifully, including juice, milk, butter, cheese and eggs! Perhaps even more exciting: local deserts like cookies, macarons and breads will keep wonderfully in the freezer as well!
Plan ahead and spend an afternoon prepping fresh food for the freezer this weekend; you’ll thank yourself later when you’re enjoying local products at peak nutrition in the cold of February.
3. Shop for storage produce
A lot of fall produce will last longer than you think. Apples, for example, will often stay fresh and beautiful in the refrigerator for at least eight weeks. Potatoes can last up to six months, winter squash up to four, and garlic three to five. If you have a cool, dry, well ventilated space in your home, consider doing a little research and stocking up on storage-friendly fall crops today to enjoy for months to come.
4. Fill your pantry with local flavor
Don’t forget about the sauces, preserves and seasonings that make food taste so good. In the bleak of winter, a spread of local jam, a dash of fiery hot sauce, a drizzle of sweet honey or a sprinkle of farm-fresh garlic salt can make all the difference.
Make sure to check out vendors like Ansel’s Awesome Sauce (hot sauce), Pickle Creek Herbs (oils and vinegars), Hue Hill (fermented goodies), Cafe del Sol Roasting (coffee) and Wake Up Iowa City (coffee) for shelf-stable goodies to keep your taste buds satisfied all winter long.