Every winter, it feels the same. I hit a certain point — it starts in February most years — when I cease to believe that it will ever be warm again. I just stop believing in summer. My faith gets shattered. The endless gray, the sleet, the wind…I reach a point where that’s all I expect. Ever.
And then. And then. Suddenly my magnolia tree bursts into bloom:
It always seems like some kind of miracle. I suppose it is, really. This year, I’ve got another, more practical, reason to welcome spring: my grocery bill.
Man, those food prices hurt, don’t they? Of course, even as I say this, I feel guilty for whining. Truth is, I’m damned fortunate not to live in any of the dozens of countries who are at risk of upheaval because of rising food prices. But, yeah, sometimes it makes me cringe. Particularly when the cost of organic milk nears $7 a gallon.
(You might wonder who’s doing well amid all of this? It’s probably no surprise: big farm special interests, who are continuing to receive subsidies even though their net income — that’s net, not gross — is at an all-time high).
But back to your grocery bill. Alanna Kellogg over at Blogher has posted a long article filled with worthwhile tips save on food. I really love so many of her ideas — think food, not “groceries;” get the most out of everything you buy; cook more; limit packaging; pay for nutrition, not snacks; eat seasonally.
So many of her points feel so right — common-sense, frugal, humble, on target. Funny, too, how her tips for frugality are the same ones that promote better health.
There’s just one point with which I take issue: she says that most locally produced foods remain more expensive than their grocery-store counterparts. It’s not true — it’s just not true at all — if you’re shopping at farmer’s markets.
For proof, check out Leftover Queen’s analysis on farmers’ market costs vs. grocery store costs. She compares an array of items, and the farmers’ market prices are either less than, or on par with, grocery store costs. Get Rich Slowly did a similar analysis, concluding that “during the peak of the harvest, at least, the produce stand offers the best balance of quality and cost.” Becks and Posh came to the same conclusion. As have others.
There are other advantages to the farmers’ market, too. You get to meet the people who grew your food. You’re not tempted to plunk down your hard-earned cash on what Michael Pollan calls “edible food-like substances” and non-essentials. Plus, you get more of a community; sociologists have found that people have ten times more conversations at farmers’ markets than they do at grocery stores.
Plus, you’ll be helping your local economy, as well; in an era where less then 10 cents of every dollar you spend on food goes to the grower — the rest goes toward corporations involved with distribution, packaging, and reselling — this is a way to give 100% of the cash to the nearby farmers who grew the food.
We’re still a month away from farmers markets in the Northeast. But they’re coming, I know now that they’re really coming, and I can’t wait. Since spring greens are some of the first items that I’ll find, I’ll go armed with this roundup of great recipes from Apartment Therapy. They all feature spring greens, and they look phenomenal.
Perhaps your farmers’ market is in swing? If so, head over. While you’re there, do your own cost-analysis. Let me know what you find out.
I often have to force myself to go, but if I do, the half hours or so I spend at the Farmer’s Market on Wednesday and Saturday are among the most rewarding of the week.
Gotta admit her view of food prices at farmer’s markets confused me a bit. If I shop seasonally I always get the better deal by skipping the grocery and trucking on down to the FM. I mean, if you are insisting on finding stuff OUT of season, you’ll pay more everywhere… but I have yet to find a grocery that can beat the prices of seasonal produce. We’re still eating our way through last summer’s blueberries (frozen, dried, and canned) I picked at a local organic U-Pick farm. At $1.49 a pound I must have picked 30 pounds. Seeing folks pick up those little 4-6 oz packages for $3.99 apiece makes me think all the more warmly towards what’s sitting at home waiting for me.
I figured last year I saved about $100 a month off my previous years grocery bill by shopping at local FM’s. Toss in the fact I was buying more (no longer single) AND putting things up for the coming cold months? Seems a real waste of cash to avoid the local shops.
Perhaps it depends on where you live, but here in the D.C. area, the farmer markets are pretty pricey. I spend more there then when I buy produce at Whole Foods. I’ve been going for years and I have never ever seen organic produce. Still it is my favorite activity to do with my daughter on a Sunday afternoon, but I always leave feeling a little disappointed. I normally spend around $30 and leave with two grocery bags of produce. My parents live in Georgia and they are always telling of the great deals they get at the FM. Not so here.
Living in SoCal, I have access to local FMs all year round. There are actually two within walking distance of my house (if you are a crazy walking lady like me and call 3 miles each way walking distance). And I take advantage, absolutely. But I do have to say…Despite how much I truly WANT to believe in the absolute superiority of FMs over supermarkets, it’s not always so absolute. For one thing, while there are some items that are definitely a better deal at the Farmer’s Market, other items are significantly more expensive. But, hey. I’m willing to either forego the too-expensive-for-my-wallet items or buy less of them in order to support the local agrifolk.
My disappointment comes in the form of the quality of the produce at times. Yes, I know. I have a skewed point of view, having been raised entirely on pesticide-laden produce that is picked too early and then artificially ripened, etc. But when I buy produce at the Farmer’s Market, only to bring it home and find that it’s gone bad within 24 hours of purchase…well, if I want my kids to have fruit and veggies, that means I end up back at the supermarket.
So I no longer purchase any of the ‘prepackaged’ produce. If I can’t visually examine and/or touch every single strawberry or brussels sprout. Which is a little disappointing, because it does sometimes mean I wind up at the supermarket more often then I’d like. But…it’s better than nothing I guess. Every little bit absolutely helps.
Marketmom and TC - no kidding. It’s interesting about the stuff going bad, because I always feel like I have the opposite experience - I can’t believe how long the greens last - I’m used to them going rotten within a day or so when I buy them at a big grocery store. I always figure that’s because by the time they make it home, they’ve made a long journey. Interesting that it’s more expensive, though. And disappointing! If any other urban-market types want to chime in, please do! This is interesting.
One small thing to keep in mind at farmers markets. If its prepackaged? You’re running a real good chance of walking into a scam that gets run all over. Everyone “knows” that what you get at a Farmer’s Market is fresh and local, right?
For over a year there was a small FM on the corner of a major intersection in my town. Went once - but as the strawberries I bought went bad by the afternoon, never wasted money there again.
Recently found out that most of there stuff was the pitched stuff of local groceries and the soon to be pulled’s.
Turns out the “farmer” was the guy in charge of a large chains produce department who figured he could make some quick cash.
A good rule of thumb is - if its sealed in celophane, if the berry basket is overly stained, if asking where its from gets a paniced look from the seller - run.
This is a great conversation you’ve started, thank you!
I’m going to stand corrected on the farmers market point — just because it’s my experience that farmers markets are usually more expensive doesn’t mean it’s everyone’s experience.
But it does actually emphasize another point that I made at BlogHer, that we actually have to carefully know/watch prices (and quality too, that point can’t be missed), no matter where, to know if something is a “good deal” or not. And when we choose to pay a premium for quality or freshness or for the “social good” or whatever we choose? Great.
My own example from last weekend is that I bypassed some packets of fresh herbs from the farmers market, grown organically, $2.50 a packet. I knew I was headed to Wal-Mart and that their herb boxes are $2. Well — turns out, Wal-Mart has switched vendors and now only stocks a larger container and a disposable one too, for $3. Guess what I’ll be buying tomorrow, and where.
Your blog is lovely, I think we’re much sympatico food- and other-wise.
Jenna - that’s AWFUL. Wow. All the more reason to get to know the folks who grow your food, I guess.
Alanna - thanks for stopping by. I really did love that article. (also just checked out the non-BlogHer link and I love your veggie blog!) I’m totally with you on your point about knowing a good deal.
I think one of the reasons, too, that I spend less $ at the farmers’ market is because I really am a weak consumer — if I’m at Wal-Mart or some similar store, I always see *other* things to spend my $ on - I go in for diapers and I leave with 8 bags…somehow, when my stuff is ringing up, I’m always like, “hey, wait a minute, how did THAT happen?” And of course it happened because that’s what they do - it’s exactly what they do - they’re there to move merchandise, and they’ve got the best minds in the world figuring out how to get me to say, “oh, I should get this.”
And I just really appreciate that about farmers’ markets - I might get an impulse to buy a loaf of rosemary bread, but not, say, a new vacuum cleaner or an on-sale DVD. Helps me keep it simple.
That said, I haven’t been to a NYC Greenmarket in years. There, there’s probably all kinds of extras for me to spend money on. Hopefully not a new vacuum cleaner, though.
As always, interesting and thought provoking topic. I have to agree with the other city dwellers and say that the farmers markets here (in Seattle) are generally more expensive than the grocery store. I remember the first time I went, I few years back, and I was really excited to buy reasonably priced fresh produce. I came home empty handed because there was no way I could afford to pay 5 dollars a pound for tomatoes. A farmers market that I LOVE is the one on the other side of the mountains in rural Yakima. The produce is super cheap there and we always walk away with many many bags of fruits and vegetables that last for weeks. Of course, Yakima doesn’t have the amazing cheese or the gimongous pet rabbit that we have at our farmer’s market so clearly there are trade-offs…
I live in a coastal town in San Diego County, so we are fortunate to have FMs all year. I can go to one each day (two on some days) if I feel like driving up to 10-12 miles. I go sometimes, but since my membership in a CSA program two years ago, I rarely do now. The CSA is a much better deal. And the FM in my city and adjacent cities on weekends. The weekday FMs are a bit further away. I prefer to do other things on weekends and take care of food needs during the week, without a lot of driving.
I do go to the FM mid-way into the tomato season when heirloom tomatoes (or peaches or whatever) are plentiful and very ripe - that’s when prices come down. Everything starts out very high when the season begins, because demand is high for the new stuff and supply is still increasing. That’s the case with strawberries right now. Patience is less expensive.
The coastal FMs *are* generally more expensive than most supermarkets, and I’m sure that is because those communities tend to be more affluent, so the market will bear it. The coastal communities are also farther from the inland farms and orchards, so fuel use is higher. The weather is milder, though, so the visit is usually less cold/less hot than the FMs in the inland communities, which tend to have lower prices.
One thing to think about is that more of every dollar that you spend at a FM goes directly to the farmer (some do pay commissions to sales people, though), not just a small fraction that they get when they sell to a middle man. Few stores buy direct from farmers anymore (I know of one or two that do and I make sure to choose the local stuff rather than the produce from giants in Central CA). I time my shopping at these stores to coincide with local deliveries.
Another thing to look into is if it is a bona fide Farmer’s Market. Usually FMs are city or community managed, and there is a manager that can be contacted for more information on vendor acceptance criteria. I was able to find the managers for area FMs on my county’s Farm Bureau website. Local Harvest.org is another possibility. It just takes a few minutes of online searching. Ask if vendors must truly be producers (some only allow producers) or if they allow produce distributors or just anyone to sell as well.
“Farm stands” at intersections and roadsides are *not* the same as FMs. They often are not affiliated with any farm, though they often are. Ask.
Don’t assume anything, even at FMs. For a while I bought the most wonderful green shelled eggs from a woman who sold out every time at a nearby FM. I had to rush over there to get my 2-3 doz. 3 doz was the limit per customer because of her small supply. Then she stopped showing up at the FM. I bought TJs eggs for a while.
I called around to find another FM with eggs for sale. I started going to a FM two towns away (12 miles) to buy eggs from a local egg ranch, even though it was at at inconvenient time on Saturdays. I paid the same price as the premium organic free-range eggs from Trader Joe’s. She also had less expensive “conventional” eggs, but I never bought those, only the eggs from her free range flock. It was always so busy at her booth, I didn’t get much time to chat with her about the flocks or details of her egg production.
But after a while I noticed her free range eggs were no different than the TJ eggs and that I got bored easily with them (I eat 2 or 3 eggs daily for breakfast). I never was bored with the green-shelled eggs from the other lady and I really missed those vibrant eggs.
Finally I had a chance to ask the egg ranch lady some questions about their production. Yes, she let about 300 layers out in a yard and those produced the free range eggs. But the ranch’s conventional layers stayed indoors and numbered 50,000! That’s one huge operation, even if it is local and meets the FM cireteria. And those free range eggs were still so uniform, the layers must have been still eating a very high amount of chicken feed instead of greens and bugs. I stopped making the special trip because I figured I might as well buy TJs eggs. The only advantage was for the producer - she could collect the entire $3.50 instead of the smaller % she got if she sold her eggs to stores.
Now I get my eggs from a small “hobby farm” that delivers every other week to a central pickup location in my community. Each egg is a different shape, the yolks a different color, a different size. The taste is great and I never tire of these eggs for breakfast. I know these layers get out and find what they like best to eat, and their preferences show in the variety of the eggs.
Ask, ask, ask. Don’t make assumptions.
I live in Central Oregon. The FMs here don’t start until June, and over half the produce available comes from the Willamette Valley, which is 100 miles away. It’s definitely more expensive than what I can find in the store. It’s true that the quality is better, but you know, sometimes I just can’t afford quality…
The good news is we have one co-op which provides veggies late May-late October, and they’re organic & delicious. One stuffed grocery bag a week for those 20 weeks costs $500, which I think is a good buy.
You’ve got some prolific readers here . . . I used to live in a small town on the Mass/VT border, and we’d go up the back way to the Brattleboro Farmers Market, which was an almost medieval experience. That was 16 or so years ago. I wonder if you’ve been to that one?
We are supporting our CSA, and are thrilled to do so, here in the southeast. We can visit them anytime, and see everything so we know exactly where our food is grown, our eggs are laid, where the pigs snuffle. I feel more confident, because I truly think good health is in our hands, not in the hands of the medical “profession.”