Comments on: Ten Ways to Find Bargains on Fresh Food

By: tadeusz

tadeusz — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:31:48 +0000

If you live near sea or ocean, consider fishermen. In my area they sell fresh out of the water fish for less than 20% of retail price, with obvious freshness and quality. Today my grandmother bought 6 pounds of fish for $2.50. That’s more than 4 pounds of delicious fish meat – crazy cheap!

Fishermen arrive in their ships at the harbor quite early in the morning. Feel free to ask and haggle. Some people might be bound to certain wholesale contractors, but many will accept your offer, as they can ask more than typical wholesale price (whereas you get less than your retail price).

Oh, and you both avoid taxes on this trade.

By: Ann

Ann — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:30:06 +0000

One way to save between 25% and 50% on produce (and other food products) is to re-evaluate whether the “organically certified” label is worth what you pay for it.

As the “organic” produce section has grown at my local store, I decided to look behind the hype. The conclusion: there is no appreciable health benefit for the added cost, and for nutrition I should concentrate on freshness (which also benefits flavor), quantity and variety rather than whether something was labelled “organic.”

If you want to save yourself big bucks, re-examine whether the “organic” label isn’t the adult equivalent of teenagers’ obsession with certain cool apparel labels: all about the warm fuzzy feeling and not about the objective qualities of the product at all.

An article that looks into it well:
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1567/full

My budget for food is limited, so buying “organic” actually would be HARMFUL to my health, because I would end up buying and consuming less fruits and vegetables overall. Only rich people can afford irrational choices, and I’m not rich enough for that.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:32:48 +0000

I share a garden with my neighbors. It works out great for us. I get to learn about gardening from people with years of experience, and they get to enjoy produce that they wouldn’t plant just for themselves. In our situation, they own most of the gardening equipment. I purchase the seed for the year, and we feel that it’s a reasonable split. We then both tend to the garden, and help each other out when it comes time to reap the bounty and prepare, can or freeze the goods.
Yum!

By: gr8whyte

gr8whyte — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:06:14 +0000

If water-boarding’s legal, I guess tomato-boarding must be too.

By: deepali

deepali — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:39:37 +0000

Another thing I love is actually working at my CSA. I put in 4 hours of work and get a week’s share. Plus I get to be outside, meet some fun people, and learn about organic agriculture!

By: Lynne

Lynne — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:32:51 +0000

I live in Sonoma County, CA where we are known for our fresh foods, wines and cheeses. Farmers Markets in our are are expensive. I shop at a couple of grocery stores that are known for good, fresh produce, and I buy what is on sale and in season. Even when not on sale, I save more than 50% over the farmers market.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:51:09 +0000

Wow, are farm shares really that cheap in Iowa? They are twice that where I live (central New York State). Building off what others have said, I guess the relative cheapness of Farmers Markets and CSA’s depend on where you are.

By: SP

SP — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:26:32 +0000

My local farmer’s markets aren’t cheaper, and I have tried several. They are a bit “yuppified” here in SoCal. Buying on sale at the supermarket is the cheapest, even for organic.

By: David G.

David G. — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:59:02 +0000

Thank you all for supporting your local farmers and ranchers through shopping at the Farmer’s Markets and CSA’s. Through this continued support, the prices that small operations charge can become closer to supermarket prices but with the added health benefits that small scale,locally produced food has.

We sell grass fed beef and even though we follow the guidelines published by EatWild and Grassfed Beef Assoc., it would add a good bit to the cost we need to sell our product to become “officially certified”. Hopefully we will develop a loyal following here in central NC and will be able to get that certification without having to pass the cost on.

We sell for about $2 to $3 a pound more than the grocery store. And I know that is a lot in most households. But since the meat is leaner, it only takes about 2/3 the heat and time to cook. And the beneficial health aspects may allow you to drop a prescription or two in time. So, is the meat really more expensive after all?

Again, thanks to all of that support small farmers and ranchers like me by buying local food.

By: The Happy Rock

The Happy Rock — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:52:25 +0000

I’ll put in a big vote for Red Hill Farm in southeastern Pennsylvania as the organic CSA that we love.

I might have to pay attention at our local farmer’s market to see what prices are like too.

Thanks Trent

By: Paragon Wealth Management

Paragon Wealth Management — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:31:20 +0000

Great article. I’m always looking for ways to save on fresh food. It is so much better for you, and it tastes better when it is cheaper. :)

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:26:10 +0000

Joining a CSA has been wonderful. We figure we are getting Great Local Organic food for about $1 per pound. Actually, just by being part of a CSA hits 8 of Trents 10 points. It is certainly adventurous. I agree with the sharing. I can’t wait to see what we get tonight. Last week was chard, kale, romaine, Japanese turnips, 4lbs of sweet cherries.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:07:47 +0000

Something I’ve noticed about food from farmer’s markets and gardens is that it seems to stay good a lot longer than chemically sprayed, old produce from grocery stores.

By: Charlotte K

Charlotte K — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:55:38 +0000

Some things are cheaper at the Farmers Market some are not. But they are better quality and local.

I think that 100 Mile Diet map referenced above is a bit of a gimmick though. Half of my 100 mile circumference is out in the ocean, and much as I’d like to be eating seafood every day, I can’t afford it and we’re not supposed to be eating so much of it anyway due to diminished resources…it would be nice if one could shift the circle the other way!

By: Maria | Never the Same River Twice

Maria | Never the Same River Twice — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:42:43 +0000

Another advantage of the farmer’s market is the willingness of some of the growers to sell in bulk at a discount. If you want 2 bushels of apples to make apple sauce with, they’ll definitely cut you a deal. You may have to order an item a week ahead of time, but this is a great way to get bulk quantities for preservation.

Also, at the end of the day growers are usually willing to sell products at a discount. They don’t want to take a perishable product home where it may spoil. Make them a reasonable offer and you could end up with a great deal.

By: Carlos

Carlos — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:53:16 +0000

I’m eagerly awaiting the follow-up article called, “Ten Ways to Find Bargains on French Food” :-)

Nice article, Trent

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:09:43 +0000

Amen to the Farmers Market. My wife goes there once a week for our fruits and vegetables. I can’t say it is much cheaper than the supermarket, but the quality is MUCH better.

By: spillingbuckets

spillingbuckets — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:31:20 +0000

Great ideas – I’m going to check out some of those links for local food.

As for whether farmers markets are cheaper or not, I find that to really depend on the season. We have a fantastic public market and in season local items (now cherries, blueberries, green beans) are MUCH cheaper, but the imported things sold at the market are the same as the grocery store.

One cool thing about the PM here… they offer “tokens” that are basically food stamps for use only at the market. You get a massive incentive to buy local farm fresh items rather than going to Wal-Mart with the food stamps. I think it’s a great idea.

By: LoveandSalt

LoveandSalt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:47:52 +0000

I love my CSA. I remain amused by my faltering, first-time garden (lots of mistakes the first time around!) but I still seem to be getting some food out of it–just not what I expected.
Other thoughts: try PYO options for berries and other crops that come in all of a sudden. I pick blueberries, raspberries, sour cherries, strawberries, at local farms and freeze what I can’t eat right away. For berries, you just wash and dry them and pop them in a freezer bag–couldn’t be easier. I have blueberries on my oatmeal all winter.
Also, look into foraging. Dandelion greens, milkweed, edible weeds and flowers, burdock root, knotweed, and lots of other delicious and nutritious plants grow in disturbed (read: close to people) landscapes everywhere. Steve Brill has an excellent book on foraging in city and suburban landscapes. (Just don’t eat what grows right next to the highway unless you like heavy metals in your salad.)

By: prodgod

prodgod — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:21:04 +0000

I live in the heart of the California Central Valley, where much of the country’s produce is grown. We have more than five local farmers markets, but unfortunately, they are FAR from inexpensive. You’d think they’d be cheap here, but but they’re trendy and thus overpriced. Much like the cost of organic produce in the supermarket, it’s a luxury that I can no longer financially justify. The solution for my family has been to grow my own organic garden. Safe, fresh, cheap and abundant.