Recipe Guide
Share your favorite recipes and discover new ways to prepare fresh, local ingredients from your farmers market
Why Share Recipes?
Recipes bring our community together around the shared joy of cooking with fresh, local ingredients. When you share a recipe, you're not just telling people how to prepare a dish - you're helping fellow shoppers make the most of their market purchases and celebrating the bounty of local farms.
🌱 Inspire Others
Help shoppers discover new ways to prepare seasonal ingredients
📸 Share Your Success
Show off your culinary creations and inspire confidence in others
💬 Build Community
Connect with neighbors over shared meals and cooking tips
📚 Create a Resource
Build a collection of tried-and-true recipes using local products
Creating a Recipe
Anyone in the community can share recipes. Whether you're a grower sharing preparation tips or a customer with a family favorite, your contributions are welcome.
Find the Recipe Section
Look for the "Recipes" link in your market's navigation menu. On the recipes page, click "Add a New Recipe" or the "+" button.
Fill in the Basics
Give your recipe a descriptive name and write an introduction that tells the story.
"I first tried this stir-fry when visiting friends in the mountains. It's become our go-to meal for using up root vegetables, and the kids actually ask for seconds!"
Add Recipe Details
- Source: Where did you learn this recipe?
- Servings: How many people does it feed?
- Dietary tags: Mark it as vegetarian or vegan if applicable
List Your Ingredients
Add each ingredient with quantity, unit, and description. Keywords help connect your recipe to products in the market.
- Quantity: 2
- Unit: cups
- Description: diced root vegetables
- Keyword: carrots, turnips, beets
Write Clear Instructions
Break down the preparation into numbered steps. Write like you're explaining to a friend - clear and encouraging, not clinical.
"Heat your largest skillet over medium-high heat. Once it's nice and hot, add the oil and toss in your veggies. Let them sizzle!"
Too brief:"Cook vegetables in oil."
Publish and Share
Click "Add the recipe!" and your creation goes live. Share the link with friends or post it in your market's community channels.
Commenting on Recipes and Sharing Photos
One of the best parts of our recipe feature is seeing how others have made a dish. This is where photos really shine!
Important: Where Photos Go
Photos are added to comments, not to the recipe itself. This lets everyone in the community share their own versions of a dish, building a visual story of how different cooks make the same recipe.
How to Add a Comment with a Photo
Open a Recipe
Navigate to any recipe you'd like to comment on.
Click "Add a Comment"
Scroll down to the comments section and click the button to open the comment form.
Write Your Comment
Share your experience, modifications, or tips. Be specific and helpful!
- "Made this tonight with beets from Johnson Farm - delicious!"
- "I added garlic and used less oil. Kids loved it!"
- "First time cooking turnips. This recipe made them taste amazing!"
Upload Your Photo
Below the comment box, you'll see a "Photo" upload field. Click to select an image from your device.
Photo Tips:
- Natural lighting works best
- Show the finished dish plated and ready to eat
- Get close enough to see details
- No need for perfection - we want to see real cooking!
Submit and Share
Click "Add Comment" and your photo will appear with your message. Others can click on the thumbnail to see the full-size image.
Why Comment Photos Matter
When multiple people share photos of the same recipe, it shows the wonderful variety of how dishes turn out in different kitchens. It builds confidence for newcomers who might be nervous about trying something new, and it celebrates our community's cooking creativity.
Saving Your Favorite Recipes
Found a recipe you want to make again? Star it! Favoriting recipes creates your personal cookbook of market-approved dishes.
How to Favorite a Recipe
- Open any recipe you'd like to save
- Look for the "Add to Favorites" button (☆) near the top of the recipe
- Click it, and the star will fill in (★) showing it's saved
- Access your favorites from the recipes page
Managing Your Recipes
Editing Your Own Recipes
If you created a recipe, you can always edit it. Open the recipe and click the "Edit Recipe" button. You can update any detail, add more ingredients, or clarify steps based on feedback from the community.
Admin Features
Market admins have additional controls:
- Enable/Disable: Temporarily hide recipes without deleting them
- Edit Any Recipe: Make corrections or improvements as needed
- Delete Recipes: Remove recipes that don't fit the community
- Manage Comments: Remove inappropriate or spam comments
Tips for Great Recipes
📝 Be Descriptive
Use sensory details. Instead of "mix ingredients," try "stir until the batter is smooth and slightly glossy." Help people know what they should see, hear, and smell.
🍎 Highlight Local Ingredients
Mention specific products or growers when relevant. "Johnson Farm's purple carrots work beautifully here" connects the recipe to your market community.
🔧 Share Your Tweaks
If you adapted a recipe, say so! "I use half the butter the original calls for" or "Works great with any leafy green" helps others customize.
⏰ Be Realistic About Time
If a recipe needs advance prep or has hands-off cooking time, mention it. "Most of this is waiting time - actual work is about 15 minutes" sets expectations.
👨👩👧👦 Think About Your Audience
Note if something is kid-friendly, makes great leftovers, or works well for meal prep. These practical details help busy families plan.
💡 Suggest Substitutions
"Can't find kohlrabi? Try radishes or turnips instead." Flexibility helps when dealing with seasonal availability.
Common Questions
Yes! Most recipes need pantry staples like flour, oil, or spices. Just make sure the recipe features ingredients that are available from your local market.
No problem! Share the recipe anyway. Others can add their photos in the comments when they make it. Sometimes the best recipes are discovered through words alone.
Yes! That's exactly what comment photos are for. When you make someone else's recipe, add a comment with your photo to show how it turned out in your kitchen.
Look for the small "×" button on your comment. Admins can also delete comments if needed. Photos are deleted along with their comments.
Reach out to your market admin. They can help resolve attribution issues or edit recipes to add proper credit.
Yes, as long as you credit the source properly. Fill in the "Source" field with the cookbook title and page number or the website name. Respect copyright - don't copy lengthy content verbatim; paraphrase and add your own experience.
Photo Guidelines for Comments
✅ Great Photo Practices
- Take photos in natural light near a window
- Show the dish on a real plate, ready to eat
- Include a fork or napkin for scale and context
- Get close enough to see texture and color
- Shoot from a slight angle, not straight down
- Keep the background simple and uncluttered
❌ Photo Pitfalls to Avoid
- Using flash - it creates harsh shadows and washes out colors
- Photos in dim lighting where food looks gray or muddy
- Too far away - we can't see what the dish actually looks like
- Messy backgrounds with dirty dishes or clutter
- Photos that are blurry or out of focus
- Heavily filtered images that misrepresent colors
Building Community Through Recipes
Recipes are more than instructions - they're stories, traditions, and connections. When you share a recipe, you're inviting others into your kitchen and your life. When you comment on someone else's recipe, you're saying "I tried this, and here's what happened" - which is incredibly valuable.
Ways to Engage
- Try something new: Make a recipe you've never seen before
- Report back: Always comment when you make someone's recipe, even if you just say "Made this - loved it!"
- Ask questions: Not sure about a step? Ask in the comments - the creator will appreciate the engagement
- Share variations: Found a great modification? Add it as a comment to help others
- Connect products: When you buy an ingredient, check if any recipes feature it
- Seasonal spotlights: Share recipes that highlight what's abundant right now