Visited the farmers market today. The selection is great this time of year but in order to be budget friendly I stuck to the shopping list for my meal plan for this upcoming week (I’ll share that with you tomorrow). I also made it a point to ask where what I was purchasing was farmed. I think farmers markets have become a huge commerical success and depending on where you live and what you’re buying, the things at the farmers market may not be any more local that what you get at the grocery store. I want to make a point of buying things at the farmers market only if they’re grown within 100 miles of me or are significantly cheaper than the grocery store.
Lemons were 25 cents each which is the same price as PW Market is offering this week. These lemons were grown 32 miles from me. Hopefully next year my own lemon tree will be productive enough I won’t have to buy any more lemons.
Eggs were $4.50 a dozen. They’re local, free range, and organic. Farmed 44 miles from me. A little pricey versus the 99 cents a dozen non-organic, non-free range, but farmed 78 miles from me so still pretty local eggs at PW Market this week so I’ll have to continue to consider if the extra cost is worth it.
Ideally for eggs you could have your own chicken. When my sister was in elementry or middle school she did a science fair experiment hatching chicken eggs and for a few years we had two hens that produced about a dozen eggs a week. They were the ultimate in local and free range, however they were not organic as we fed them all our food scraps in addition to their chicken feed. My sister got another chicken this year (it lived with my mom because college dorms do not allow chickens) but unfortunately it A) turned out to be a rooster and B) got killed by a raccoon last weekend.
I’d like to see more dairy products at the farmers market, but I don’t think dairy is a big industry in California quite the way produce is.
Shared in Real Food Wednesday.
Related posts:
- Farmers Market 6/20
- Grocery Deals 5/31
- PW Markets Coupon Matchups 5/27-6/2
- Open Thread
- Organic Price Book
 Subscribe via RSS |  Subscribe via Email | learn more about subscribing |
{ 5 comments }
Hi, i read your blog everyday thru my feed reader and I read your comment about having your own chicken/hen. While it is a frugal way to get eggs/etc; there are lots of other things to consider… chickens carry parvo which will infect your land and you cannot get rid of it. I have 97 acres of land in MS and know lots of people who farm chickens and that’s all they can have because even if you put a puppy on the ground where chickens have been or are they will inevitably contract the parvo disease and most likely die (there is a parvo vaccine but animals cannot receive it until they are over 1 yr old). Just thought i’d let you know before you start farming chickens
Only mammals can carry parvo, which rules out chickens, but they can transport it on their feathers and feet if they get into animal droppings that contain the parvo virus. The parvo vacceine can be given to puppies at 6 weeks of age, it takes about two weeks to reach full effect.
The organic, free range eggs are worth it and then some! Eggs from chickens that spend time outside and get to eat bugs and growing plants are much higher in fat soluble vitamins like A and D as well as having a much better Omega 3:Omega 6 ratio. Grocery store eggs are better than grocery store milk, but free range eggs are health food! I want backyard chickens too, but until then, I’ll pay well for my farmer to keep her chickens outside.
Alyss’s last blog post: Pokrov Farm Tour
We save plenty of money shopping at the farmer’s market — even (dare I say it) withOUT a list! When the season is in full swing, we try to buy most of our food at the farmer’s market — and that cuts down on grocery costs immeasurably. No convenience food on those weeks, that’s for sure!
lo’s last blog post: Milwaukee Creole: Barbequed Shrimp
lol, my other problem is that without a list i’d buy way more than i could eat before it spoiled
Comments on this entry are closed.