I buy Locally, and I spend almost the same amount of money as I used to when I shopped in the food chains.... I buy all organic, I now grow my own organic veges and herbs, I am in an Apt, so I am limited but I do grow, Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, Mint, Rosemary, Eggplant, Zuchinni, Cuccumber, strawberries and 4 different Heirloom tomatoes....I will be incorporating more heirlooms
its easy and effortless..... I made my own DIY topsy turvy due to my limited space, I made 2 of them, and they house my tomatoes and strawberries, and I planted some of the herbs on the top.... and I have a Herb box I built for the rest of my veges .
I am not a gardener, and I can honestly say it is quite easy to grow for the non experienced
They're bigger because they're genetically altered. I don't know where you live, but I live in a more rural area (urban and rural, it's weird), and our local farmer's market is really cheap. Cheaper than the grocery store sometimes. I think it really depends on the area, if it's more of a farm area, or if it's more suburban.
Larger fruit isn't necessarily genetically altered. i packed apples and pears for several years (I live in rural Washington), and it's quite normal for many different sizes of fruit to come from the same tree. Much of the time, the size of the fruit depends on how well the tree was thinned and what the weather was like as it was growing. I'm not saying genetic altering never happens, but don't automatically assume that a large apple is genetically altered and a smaller one isn't. Chances are good that they came from the very same tree if they're packed in the same box.
During the growing season, I buy almost all of my fruits and vegetables from the 2 local farms near me. When I finally go back into the supermarket in November, I am amazed by how colorful, large and perfect all the vegetables appear.
But the thing is, it really grosses me out. Everything looks so overabundant and unnatural. The potatoes don't have a single eye on them and are enormous, for example. The cucumbers are enormous and shiny. etc. From a vegetable / fruit standpoint, summer can't roll around fast enough for me.
Interesting... around here produce from the farmer's market is much less expensive than in the stores... and of course much better.
Flatiron, I understand you can dehydrate foods in the oven; however a dehyrdator is a wonderful kitchen appliance to have and they are not expensive. I love grapes dried on it and also fresh pineapple.
This is a challenge for me, too... I'm so jealous of all of you who have farmer's markets that are cheaper than the supermarkets. I've NEVER seen anything cheaper at the farmer's market. Meats are 4 to 5 times as much, and most produce is roughly double.
As nice as the local organic asparagus looked last week, I wasn't about to spend 6.99/lb for it, when I can get decent-looking asparagus from the grocery store for 2.99/lb if I really wanted it. I buy potatoes there because I don't use them fast enough to need a whole bag from the store, so paying $1.25/lb for the "seconds" is worth it. And sometimes I'll buy a tiny bag of spinach, or a bunch of kale that's mostly stems, for $2.50... because it does feel good to support the local farmers... but when money is tight there's no way I can buy local.
(I should add that I haven't lived here in June and July before, so I've only seen the early and late stuff, maybe it gets affordable somewhere in the middle.)
Our farmers' market definitely is cheapest in the middle of the season. Also, if you know each vegetables peak seasons (or ask), you'll find the prices are cheapest at the peak (but that's generally true in the grocery store too). So if you want the first or last picking, you may pay more than at peak. Also, it pays to browse all of the stalls before buying. Stalls nearest the parking often price their produce higher than stalls at the far end. There are of course exceptions, as our favorite vendor has the first stall, but her prices are great, and when she recognizes you as a regular customer, she throws in all sorts of free stuff. It pays to be very friendly - and memorable to the vendors in some way (if you think your appearance or personality may be kind of ordinary, wear a big hat or find some way to stand out, so you're easily recongnizeable as a regular customer).
In our farmers' market, the asian vendors often sell much cheaper than the other vendors - also, they're much more open to haggling. I've seen some of the Hmong ladies haggle, and they are very skilled at it. I'm not, but hubby is - the secret is not to insult their produce or product when suggesting a lower price. If you're hesitant to ask for a lower price, you can ask if the vendor is willing to give a discount for multiple purchases. The worst they can say is no.
In general, all the vendors are more open to price negotiation at the end of the day (though there's less selection) or if there's bad weather. I actually love going to the farmers' market when it's raining (as long as it's not a downpour), because the vendors are more willing to lower prices to sell faster and be able to go home earlier.
If you're living in an urban or trendy area, it can pay to look for farmers' markets off the beaten path. In our city, the downtown farmers' market is the "trendiest," and caters to tourist as well as local business. Their prices are higher and the produce not as nice (maybe it starts out as nice, but is picked over faster). However only a mile or two away, the farmers' market is much cheaper. We've heard that the farmers' market the town over (about a 20 minute drive) is even cheaper, so this year we'll be checking it out.
Mayness - I grew up in Central NY and my folks still live there. In the summer there are little produce stands everywhere and many are very inexpensive. They may not be organic, but that's often because small growers can't afford organic standards. However they often don't over-spray and you get to support local people. My mom and I did go to a Farmer's Market in Hamilton and some of it was a little pricey though not outrageous.
We often talk about the price tag vs. the real price of things. Remember that most of that cheap big box produce is picked before it's ready, loaded with pesticides and genetically modified so overall it's nutrition content is almost always less. It's also shipped thousands of miles so the cost in greenhouse gas is very high. I know it's hard to manage on a budget though. We make the best choices we can and I dehydrate and freeze as much of the produce we love as I can when it's cheap in the summer.
I just signed up for a local CSA program, it comes out to only 16 bucks a week and runs from June to October! There are over 50 local farms that participate in my area!
Yeah! I think that CSAs are one of the least-utilized food delivery systems...a pity, because they're usually way less expensive than grocery store or farmers market produce, but are still local and delicious...AND you support small farms to boot!
Yeah! I think that CSAs are one of the least-utilized food delivery systems...a pity, because they're usually way less expensive than grocery store or farmers market produce, but are still local and delicious...AND you support small farms to boot!
Thanks for posting that link! Great timing, I start next week!
I'm still considering a CSA... the one that looks best around here works out to about $25 a week but you get some choice in what things you take... I was hoping they'd start coming to the farmer's market so I could see the quality of their stuff, but every week they show up at their huge corner booth with a pile of pamphlets about their CSA and no produce. Oh well, it doesn't start until June 13, I'll give it a few weeks... I just can't see dropping $500 without seeing SOME of the products.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CyndiM
Mayness - I grew up in Central NY and my folks still live there. In the summer there are little produce stands everywhere and many are very inexpensive. They may not be organic, but that's often because small growers can't afford organic standards. However they often don't over-spray and you get to support local people. My mom and I did go to a Farmer's Market in Hamilton and some of it was a little pricey though not outrageous.
I see a lot of them along the way when I drive to Rochester to visit friends/family, but here in Ithaca I've never noticed one. I could drive to nearby towns and look around for them, but that doesn't seem worth the gas/pollution. Living here has changed my sense of distance, anything that takes more than 5-10 minutes to drive to or can't be reached by bus doesn't seem worth it anymore. It might be a fun adventure though, so thanks for the idea!
I participated in a CSA last year and really enjoyed it. I was anticipating some travel this summer so did not sign up this year, but I've been going to farmer's markets when I can. The prices are just about the same as grocery stores, if not, just a bit more, it really depends on the vendor. I really enjoy u-pick farms as well. This is where I stock up on fruits to make jams/pies/etc. They're inexpensive and a fun date. We are also lucky here in that we have access to free range and organic eggs.
Oh well, it doesn't start until June 13, I'll give it a few weeks... I just can't see dropping $500 without seeing SOME of the products. 