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Keep in mind, that you will pay the price one way or the other. You can choose to pay it up front by purchasing organically grown, pesticide free fruit and produce, or you can pay MUCH more down the road...to doctors, hospitals, surgeons, and the big pharmaceutical companies. I've chosen to pay it up front. In addition to long term savings, I'm also greatly enhancing the quality of my life by keeping myself in excellent health. You can't do that with poison in your system. Refuse to support agri-biz food factories. Let's put em all out of business or at least get them to change their production practices by refusing to buy the poisoned crap that they are currently growing.
I read an article several days ago saying people would be willing to buy local produce from the grocery store, over wherever the other stuff comes from.
I too have a local farmer's market nearby and everything is way cheaper. A few days ago I bought 2-3 tomatoes, a large zuccini, a bunch of bananas (don't think they were local), and some peaches for under $3.
I have found that compared to conventional grocery food, local is more expensive. Especially meat. But when compared to industrial organic, it's cheaper.
Have you tried a CSA? They are great and usually average $25 per week. That gets you 1-2 grocery bags of veggies depending on the time of year. We are family of 6 and had a hard time keeping up with a full share. (Granted our children are all age 7 and under and don't eat much.) And we only eat meat 3-4 per week yet we still had more than enough vegetables.
But to make up for the expense of local and organic, I don't buy many wet goods, pop, cereal etc. and instead buy dry goods like beans and granola in bulk. As a result, I spend the same per week as I did when I bought conventional groceries. It was whole lifestyle change, but it's been worth it.
I also space out what I buy, since some things require large payments up front. I pay for our CSA in March, our 1/4 cow in July, our lamb in early fall, and our 1/2 pig in late fall. I also stock up on chickens in the summer and freeze them. The meat is more per pound, so we just eat less meat and fill up on veggies.
Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, you buy a share in spring which entitles you to a weekly vegetable "share" during the growing season. It's usually cheaper than retail because you are buying upfront to help the farmer pay for seeds and such and because there is lower overhead. They are usually organic. You also share the risk- if, for instance, there is a spring flood, you accept that may not get your spring peas or radishes. (This is so rarely a problem, though! And they make up for it with extra veggies of other varieties.) You can find a CSA near you through the local harvest website.
Sunsprit, I want to come and shop at your market! My wife and I like our weekend trips to the Dallas, Tx Farmers Market. There is a barn specifically for local Organic Texas Farmers that we shop in. The produce there is more $$ than the Kroger store but the quality and the taste (and obviously the nutrition) is so much better. Besides, buying produce grown locally is a "Green Lifestyle" thing to do.
You can choose to pay it up front by purchasing organically grown, pesticide free fruit and produce, or you can pay MUCH more down the road...
Unfortunately a lot of the fruit at the farmer's market here (and locally in general) is not pesticide free. Some are naturally grown and those tend to be even pricier. I know this because I've talked to the vendors. A small farm does not always equal pesticide free.
I've looked into the local CSAs, I believe there are two available but all shares sell out really early every year. And the rest are not in convenient locations (they don't deliver the food to you, you need to pick it up from their farms which are a long drive away).
I'll still keep buying local whenever I can. But with a tight budget I'll have to choose the grocery store over the farmer's markets.
Unfortunately a lot of the fruit at the farmer's market here (and locally in general) is not pesticide free
I'll still keep buying local whenever I can. But with a tight budget I'll have to choose the grocery store over the farmer's markets.
You'r right about that, but it's still fresher, tastier, and probablly less chemicalized than produce shipped from thousands of mile away. AND just as importantly, you get to suport the local economy and put your signature on the death warrant of the global economy. Let us put an end to the wasteful practice of shipping food and other items from thousands of miles away to save a few cents on head of lettuce. Let us put an end to the loss of *American jobs. Let's us do all that we can to bring about a quick death to the global economy. May our local economies be reborn! If we don't take it upon ourselves to change our habits, the high price of oil will do it for us, but the transition back to a local economy will take longer and it will be far more painful if we resist.
*Although it can be argued that buying grocery store produce is not taking away American jobs, it is nonetheless an extremely wasteful use of rapidly diminishing oil resources to have items on the shelves, shipped in from thousands of miles away.
Last edited by CosmicWizard; 08-29-2008 at 10:15 AM..
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