apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We're sticking to organics and/or local food. We made up the difference in our food budget by switching out processed foods for farmer's market veggies and fruit, and by buying a lot more from the bulk bins at our local co-op.

A lot more of my time goes to cooking as a result, but I'd like to think we're eating better, and I find cooking very soothing.

Rather than buying organic, my family has always focused on purchasing food that is either grown locally or close to home. This means we look for produce labels that say "grown in" BC, Washington, or Alberta. I'm more concerned with how far food travels than how it's grown.

I rarely eat processed food, so my grocery bills aren't all that high in the first place.

I have, however, cut back on red bell peppers (which I love) because organic ones are quite costly, even here in California. I'm only buying them for special occasions right now.

*sigh* If only my bell pepper plant hadn't died...

I cook as much as possible using farmers' market ingredients, preferably organic (not necessarily certified so).

We are still shopping at Whole Foods and small, local markets. Sure, it's a little more expensive, but we want to support them...even more so while times are tough for the industry. I just try to be more creative and have bought fewer processed foods.

Shopping at the farmers markets is less expensive than Whole Foods in Houston, and thanks to our 12 month growing season, that means there's always good produce to be had.
Whole Foods will always win though when it comes to bulk dried goods. They're the cheapest in the loop.
Fingers crossed that someday we'll find a way to start a local grain coop.

How ironic that Whole Foods just opened a HUGE second location in my smallish college town of Ann Arbor, MI.

The question I'd like someone, preferably a national media outlet, to ask Whole Foods is:

We all know smaller chains don't have the buying power of larger chains, which was WFM's excuse for its stellar prices in the past, but now that the chain is much larger, not to mention much more powerful in the marketplace, why do things like its chicken salad from the deli still cost 14.99 per pound???????

www.thebitterfoodie.blogspot.com

And another thing, being as into food as I am ( I worked for WFM for years), I am still incredibly skeptical of the superiority of organic produce.

Yes, I still shop at WFM - I like the experience of wandering around the stores seeing cool packaging or discovering new products. I don't necessarily think the food tastes better than elsewhere, however.

Due to my Mother's farm and garden in nearby Ohio, I'm blessed with fresh produce all summer long, and food she managed to can herself in the fall.

I haven't had to buy pears, apples, raspberries, tomatoes, grapes, or onions in three years since moving back home.

If I had a yard, I would all available space to grow my own food. Absolutely.

www.thebitterfoodie.blogspot.com

I buy organic food from Trader Joe's it's always come up cheaper than buying from a regular grocery store. I only buy cheese at Whole Foods, due to their great selection, but otherwise it's ridiculously expensive.

You can just be unethical like me and go to the self check out- entering organic produce as regular.

Yes, I still buy organic. I try to spend most of our money on organic meats and eggs and then really shop the specials. When it comes to veggies I only buy organic carrots, salad greens and potatoes. Tomatoes, bananas and citrus fruits are non organic for us. I try to buy organic whole grains like rice and quinoa, but don't stress on organic baked goods like breads etc. I feed a family of 3 (myself, meat eating Teamster husband, carnivorous and ravenous 4 year old boy) for about $100-$125 a week between shopping at Trader Joes, my local supermarket and my local fruit and veg. We live in Brooklyn.

Also, on the above budget we manage to eat most meals at home during the week. Maybe we only get take out for a meal or two on the weekend. We go out to eat for a relatively reasonable dinner ($50-70 for all three of us including booze) about once every two weeks.

Matilda and other Brooklynites--have you tried the Park Slope Food Co-op? Yes, you do one shift per month for each adult in the house, and yes, there are quite a few rules, but not only does the Co-op provide great community (including childcare while you shop or work your shift), the food is amazing and the prices shockingly cheap (especially for NYC). Grass-fed, organic beef and dairy, beautiful produce, most of the stuff (including health and beauty and supplements) you might buy at Whole Foods and a lot more. I loved it. Now, I live in Oakland, CA, and just learned there's a start-up co-op here (the CoG). Can't wait to join.

I have struggled with the price of organic even before the economy went south. I am a huge Oprah fan and caught a show with Sophie Uliano and she gave her recipe for her veggie cleaner spray. I like the idea of making my own cleaners anyway, so this works for me. Here's the link:

http://www.oprah.com/recipe/food/healthyeating/food_20080422_spray

The price of the grapefruit seed extract is kinda pricey (IMO) but you can make a massive amount of the cleaner with a 2 fl. oz bottle. It's a wonderful alternative if you do not have access to organic produce or if you find the prices to be steep.

I also try to support the farmer's market in our area but since it's near my office and not my home (I have a pretty long commute), it does prove difficult.

last time i went to a farmer's market in upstate new york, i paid $9 for a pork medallion shawarma and $4 for a cup of coffee...

last time i offered someone a banana, he said he didn't eat bananas because he'd read somewhere that bananas were bad for you...

while i try to support ethical businesses with good stewartship of the environment, it's not a major concern for me...not to be cynical, but sometimes i feel a lot of it is market positioning...

i pay considerably more for hydroponic organic veggies from a local operator...but not because they're organic, rather because they are crisp and fresh and awesome looking...